Archived: The Beach Hut

Updated 8 January 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 29 November 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included any safeguarding referrals and statutory notification that had been sent to us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

On the day of the inspection there were three young people living in the service and we spoke to two of them about their experience of the Beach Hut. We spoke with the provider, nurse manager and three care staff. We reviewed two care and support plans, medication administration records, two staff recruitment files, staffing rotas and records relating to the quality and safety monitoring of the service. Following the inspection, we spoke with one health care professional and two relatives.

Updated 8 January 2019

The inspection took place on the 29 November and 06 December 2018 and was unannounced. At our last inspection in July 2016 we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. The service was moving in an upward trajectory and as a result we have rated ‘caring’ as Outstanding, the overall rating continues to be good. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The Beach Hut is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide accommodation for persons who require nursing or residential care and treatment of disease, disorder and injury. The service provides residential and nursing care to three young people who have complex learning and physical disabilities as well as associated health conditions. The Beach Hut is a bungalow located in a residential area in Clacton and is one of two services owned by the same provider. The other service is called Driftwood and provides respite care to children’s and young people.

The registered manager manages Beach Hut and Driftwood which is located nearby. 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.

The Beach Hut had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, the promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities using the service can live as ordinary life as any citizen.

Relatives and professionals spoke highly of the service and the quality of care provided. They told us that the values of kindness and compassion were embedded in the day to day life of the service. Staff went the extra mile for the young people to make things happen. We saw that care was person centred and young people were given opportunities to build their confidence and self-esteem.

Staffing levels were flexible and met the needs of the people using the service. Staff supported people to keep in touch with family and friends and access the community.

Staff worked hard to establish what was important to people and what they enjoyed. They communicated effectively with the young people and made things happen for them which improved their wellbeing.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Checks were undertaken on the environment to ensure that it was a safe place for young people to use. Risks were identified and clear plans in place to manage people’s health needs and reduce the likelihood of harm.

Staff, including care and nursing staff received regular training to ensure that skills were updated, and they were competent to provide care.

Staff spoke with enthusiasm about their roles and the quality of care provided. The provider had a clear plan of continuous improvement and quality assurance’s processes were in place to identify shortfalls and any developing patterns.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.