The Care Quality Commission
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  • Care home

Archived: Bethany Christian Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

2 Woodside, Lipson, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8QE 0300 303 8440

Provided and run by:
Pilgrims' Friend Society

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile
Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

4 March 2018

During a routine inspection

Bethany Christian Home is a residential care home which provides care and accommodation for up to 26 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 22 people living at the service.

This inspection took place on 4 March 2018. The inspection was unannounced. The last inspection took place on 29 and 30 July 2015, the service was rated Good with the “Caring” domain as Outstanding. At this inspection we found the overall rating remained "Good" with the Caring as Outstanding.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Exceptional feedback from people and their relatives told us staff were dedicated, caring, kind and went the extra mile. Staff demonstrated compassion for people through their conversations and interactions to make sure they mattered. They did special things which made people feel valued. Feedback about the caring nature and acts of kindness continued to be excellent. People told us their privacy and dignity was promoted and those who were able, were actively involved in making choices and decisions about how they wanted to live their lives. People were protected from abuse because staff understood what action to take if they were concerned someone was being abused or mistreated.

The leadership at the service was very good. The team at Bethany Christian Home was well led by the registered manager and provider who enabled safe, responsive, effective and high quality care. There were robust quality assurance systems in place to help assess the ongoing quality of the service, and to help identify any areas which might require improvement. Complaints were listened to and incidents were learned from to ensure ongoing improvement. The registered manager and provider promoted the ethos of honesty and admitted when things had gone wrong. The service kept abreast of changes to maintain quality care and was constantly striving to improve.

People received care which was responsive to their needs. People and their relatives were encouraged to be part of the care planning process. This helped to ensure the care being provided met people’s individual needs and preferences. Support plans and care were personalised and guided staff to help people in the way they liked.

Risks associated with people’s care and living environment were effectively managed to ensure people’s freedom was promoted. People were supported by consistent staff to help meet their needs in the way they preferred. People’s independence was encouraged and staff helped people feel valued. The registered manager and provider wanted to ensure the right staff were employed, so recruitment practices were safe and ensured that checks had been undertaken. People’s medicines were safely managed and given to them on time.

People received care from staff who had undertaken training to be able to meet their unique needs. People’s human rights were protected because the registered manager and staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People’s nutritional needs were met because staff followed people’s support plans to make sure people were eating and drinking enough and potential risks were known. People were supported to access health care professionals to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Policies and procedures across the service were being developed to ensure information was given to people in accessible formats when required. People were treated equally and fairly. Staff adapted their communication methods dependent upon people’s needs, for example using simple questions and information for people with cognitive difficulties and information about the service was available in larger print for those people with visual impairments.

29 and 30 July 2015

During a routine inspection

The inspection took place on the 29 & 30 July 2015 and was unannounced.

Bethany Christian Home is a residential care home provides care and accommodation for up to 26 older people, some whom are living with dementia. On the day of the inspection 22 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are “registered persons”. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During the inspection people and staff were calm and relaxed; the environment was clean and clutter free. There was a happy, peaceful atmosphere. Comments from people, relatives and health professionals were exceptionally positive. People moved freely around the home and enjoyed living in the home.

Care records were focused on people’s needs and wishes and encouraged people to maintain their independence. Staff responded quickly to changes in people’s needs. People and those who mattered to them were involved in identifying their needs and how they would like to be supported. People preferences were sought and respected. People’s life histories, disabilities and abilities were taken into account, communicated and recorded, so staff provided consistent personalised care, treatment and support.

People told us they felt safe and secure. People told us they felt the home was “100%” safe. Comments included, “Yes, I feel extremely safe”; “Oh yes, happy and safe”; “Yes, more than happy with my relative’s care and safety here.”

There was an open, transparent culture where learning and reflection was encouraged. People’s risks were monitored and managed well. Accidents and safeguarding concerns were managed promptly. There were effective quality assurance systems in place in all areas which drove improvement. Incidents related to people’s behaviour were appropriately recorded and analysed. Audits were conducted in all areas, action points noted and areas improved where needed. Staff training was evaluated for its effectiveness. Research was used to promote best practice in dementia and end of life care.

People were encouraged to live active lives and were supported to participate in community life where possible. Activities were meaningful and reflected people’s interests and individual hobbies for example many enjoyed reading and maintaining their spirituality. People enjoyed activities within the home such as fish and chip supper events, outings to the pantomime and choir performances.

People had their medicines managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed, received them on time and understood what they were for where possible. People were supported to maintain good health through regular visits with healthcare professionals, such as district nurses, GPs and mental health professionals.

People, friends, relatives and staff were encouraged to be involved in meetings held at the home and helped drive continuous improvements. For example one person had mentioned the sandwiches felt damp at tea time. As a result of this feedback they were removed from the fridge earlier so they did not feel cold. Listening to feedback helped ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the home.

People knew how to raise concerns and make complaints. People and those who mattered to them explained there was an open door policy and staff always listened and were approachable. People told us they did not have any current concerns but any previous, minor feedback given to staff had been dealt with promptly and satisfactorily. A relative told us; “Any problems at all, I would just speak to the staff and would be confident it’s dealt with immediately.” Any complaints made would be thoroughly investigated and recorded in line with the organisation's own policy.

Staff understood their role with regards the ensuring people’s human rights and legal rights were respected. For example, the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were understood by staff. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding adults from abuse; they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff told us they felt confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated.

Staff received a comprehensive induction programme and the Care Certificate had been implemented within the home. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were appropriately trained and had the correct skills to carry out their roles effectively. Training was used to enhance staff skills and the care people received.

Staff were kind, thoughtful and compassionate. People, relatives and professionals were exceptionally positive about the quality of care and support people received. Supportive, kind and respectful relationships had been built between people, family members, professionals and staff. Comments included, “I’m treated like royalty”; “They (relative) deserves a nice place to be, mum looks ten years younger, all plumped up (referring to their weight gain) and re hydrated, always water within her reach”; “We walked in the door and the caring atmosphere enveloped us.” Staff took pride in their roles and the small extra things they did made people feel special and showed they cared. For example the maintenance officer grew seeds at home for the garden and had put lilies in the pond at someone’s request. They had built a planter for someone who wished to have their own little garden. One staff member had taken someone to the pantomime in their own time. Other staff had brought donations in for the shopping trolley so that people could buy magazines and sweets if they were unable to access the local shops. Two staff had personalised people’s bedrooms in their own time as they did not have family to help them do this.

People’s end of life wishes were known and specific details sought and recorded about how people wished to be cared for in their final days. Staff had recently completed the local hospice end of life care programme and acted as “champions” in this area. All staff had received training in providing a dignified death to enhance their care in this area.

Staff described the management as open, very supportive and approachable. Staff talked positively about their jobs. A GP told us “[…] (referring to the registered manager) is a real bonus, she’s caring, kind, lovely manner.” Staff comments included, “I love my job”; “I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”