CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Beech Court Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home used PPE safely, carried out testing, managed visiting and admissions safely, and had an up-to-date infection prevention and control policy. The provider also said it had measures to reduce the risks from COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection prevention and control arrangements.
This was a targeted, announced inspection on 2 March 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected people.
The home was clean, tidy and fresh smelling. Inspectors were assured that it used PPE safely, carried out testing, managed visiting and admissions safely, and had plans for preventing or managing outbreaks.
The home was registered for up to 26 older people and seven people were living there on the inspection day. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Safe visiting arrangements
Professionals visiting the home were subject to checks including testing, vaccination evidence, temperature checks, hand sanitising and PPE.
“Safe arrangements were in place for professionals visiting the service. This included a confirmed negative lateral flow device test result, proof of vaccination against COVID-19, temperature checks, hand sanitisation and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).” from the report
Clean environment
The home was clean, tidy and fresh smelling. Cleaning schedules supported a safe and hygienic environment.
“Rigorous cleaning schedules ensured the home was maintained to a safe and hygienic standard.” from the report
Outbreak planning
The management team had a detailed plan for dealing with an outbreak and had assessed COVID-19 risks.
“There was a comprehensive contingency plan of what to do in case of an outbreak.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are COVID-19-related staffing pressures affecting care and staffing levels now?
- 02What checks and precautions currently apply to visitors and visiting professionals?
- 03How would you support my relative if there were an infection outbreak?
- 04How often is the infection prevention and control policy reviewed and updated?
- 05What arrangements are in place for admitting new people safely?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 March 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, September 2018
Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, but the home’s leadership was rated Requires Improvement.
Inspectors visited without warning on 16 July 2018. They spoke with people living there, relatives, staff and the provider. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, risk assessments, recruitment checks and quality audits.
They found people were safe, well cared for and treated with kindness and respect. Staff understood people's needs, medicines were recorded properly, care plans were detailed and people received suitable food, drinks, activities and end of life care.
The main weakness was leadership. There was no registered manager, and staff were not always clear about their responsibilities. The home was rated Good overall, with Good ratings for Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. Well-led was rated Requires Improvement.
Safe care
Staff had safeguarding training and understood how to report concerns. Individual risks were assessed and reviewed, and medicines records were complete.
“People were kept safe from avoidable harm because the staff team had received training on safeguarding and understood their responsibilities.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw warm interactions and staff responding sensitively when people were upset or anxious. People's privacy, dignity and personal choices were respected.
“We observed and heard that people were treated in a kind and positive manner and there was a warm and friendly atmosphere.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's physical, social and emotional needs. Staff knew people's histories, preferences and interests and used this information in daily care and activities.
“People's care records contained detailed information about their health and social care needs.” from the report
Improvements since the last inspection
The previous concerns about infection control and ineffective quality audits had been addressed. Inspectors found cleaner areas, better hygiene practice and more effective audits.
“We noted improvements in the quality assurance systems to both monitor and improve the governance of the service.” from the report
End of life care
Staff had training and support for end of life care. They could involve the hospice, GP and district nurses when people needed more complex support.
“People received effective and caring end of life care.” from the report
Inconsistent leadership
needs fixingThe home did not have a registered manager. Two managers had stepped down from their previous roles, and staff were not always clear about who was responsible for day-to-day management.
“This meant there was not consistent leadership in place and not all staff were clear about their responsibilities.” from the report
Dementia-friendly environment
needs fixingThe building was not fully adapted to help people living with dementia move around independently. The provider was asked to consult current best practice guidance.
“People's needs were not always met by the design and adaptation of the premises.” from the report
Staffing as numbers increase
minorThere were enough staff for the small number of people living there during the inspection. The provider needed to keep staffing levels under review if occupancy increased.
“The owner agreed that this would be done to ensure people's needs continued to be met when numbers in the home increased.” from the report
- 01Has a registered manager now been appointed, and who has clear responsibility for the home's day-to-day management?
- 02How will you make sure staff understand their individual responsibilities and receive consistent leadership?
- 03What changes have been made to make the building more dementia friendly and easier to navigate independently?
- 04How will staffing levels be reviewed if more people move into the home?
- 05How are the improved infection control and quality audit systems being kept effective?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions; seven people were living in the home, which was registered for up to 26 people. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 September 2018 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Beech Court Nursing Home
6 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- September 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- September 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2015Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvement
- March 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 23 March 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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