CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Beechcroft Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, April 2020
Beechcroft Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 16 January and 3 February 2020. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with seven people, one relative, nine staff and two visiting professionals. They also observed care and checked care, medicines, staffing and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, received their medicines correctly and had enough staff to meet their needs.
People were involved in their care, treated with kindness and supported to take part in activities they enjoyed. Meals, healthcare, communication support, complaints handling and end of life planning were also found to be well managed.
The previous rating was Requires Improvement, with several legal breaches. Inspectors found that repairs, health monitoring, activities and management systems had improved, and the home was no longer in breach of regulations.
Safe environment
The home had been repaired and redecorated since the previous inspection. Inspectors found bedrooms and shared areas were well maintained, with further safety work completed after the inspection.
“We noted the service was brightly decorated and people's rooms and communal areas looked well maintained.” from the report
Personalised activities
An activities coordinator developed programmes around people's interests, backgrounds and cultural needs. People could take part in activities inside the home and trips into the community.
“The activities co-ordinator engaged with each person in a proactive manner to draft personal 'social care programmes' based on their activity preferences, interests, and personal backgrounds.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People reported that staff treated them with dignity and respect. Inspectors saw friendly interactions, privacy being protected and people receiving individual attention.
“We observed staff always knocking on people's doors before entering.” from the report
Responsive healthcare
The home had systems for recording changes in people's health and arranging professional support. Weekly GP visits and hospital communication arrangements helped staff respond to health needs.
“The registered manager arranged for weekly GP visits to the home to review people's health needs.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you keep the repairs, decoration and other safety improvements identified after the previous inspection under review?
- 02How would you respond if my relative's health changed or deteriorated, and how would the GP and other professionals be involved?
- 03What activities would you offer based on my relative's interests, cultural needs and communication abilities?
- 04How would you involve my relative and our family in care assessments, reviews and end of life decisions?
- 05How do your quality checks identify and act on any problems with medicines, care records, food or staffing?
This was a planned, unannounced inspection covering all five key questions; the report says the previous Requires Improvement rating and breaches had been addressed. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 April 2020 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, February 2019
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind care, but safety, activities and management systems still needed significant improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection over two days in November and December 2018. Inspectors spoke with people, staff, the manager and health and social care professionals. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and management information.
People were treated with kindness and dignity. Medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff during most of the inspection, and people enjoyed the food. Staff received training and regular supervision.
However, parts of the building were unsafe or poorly maintained. One person whose health was getting worse was not monitored properly or referred for medical help quickly enough. Activities did not meet the needs of people who stayed in their rooms or lived with dementia.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. This means the home was not consistently meeting the standards inspectors checked. It had the same overall rating as the previous inspection, and earlier improvements had not all been completed.
Kind and respectful care
People described staff as kind and caring. Inspectors saw staff respect privacy and provide care in a dignified way.
“People said staff were kind and caring towards them.” from the report
Medicines
Inspectors found established systems for ordering, storing and administering medicines. Records were complete and matched the medicines given.
“Medicines were administered to people as required. There were established systems in place for the safe management of medicines.” from the report
Food and drink
People could choose meals and ask for alternatives. Food and drinks were available throughout the day, including for people with specialist dietary needs.
“People could choose their meal from the menu provided. People could have something else to eat if they did not want to have the meal that was offered on the day.” from the report
Staff support and training
Staff received training and regular supervision. Nurses were supported to maintain their professional registration.
“Staff were supported through regular training, induction and supervision.” from the report
End of life care
People's wishes about end of life care, pain management and resuscitation were recorded. Staff had links with a hospice for specialist advice.
“Staff supported people with end of life care.” from the report
Unsafe and poorly maintained building
seriousInspectors found several hazards and areas needing repair or decoration. Some problems were dealt with immediately, but more work was still needed.
“There were areas in the home that had extensive cracks in the walls and ceilings, and brown coloured marks where water damage had occurred.” from the report
Delayed response to deteriorating health
seriousOne person appeared seriously unwell. Staff had not monitored them adequately or identified that their health was getting worse, putting them at serious risk.
“This person had been put at serious risk as staff had not adequately monitored this person or identified a deterioration in their health.” from the report
Activities did not meet everyone's needs
needs fixingPeople with dementia, limited mobility or who stayed in their rooms did not have enough meaningful individual activities. Inspectors did not see the promised one-to-one activity support taking place.
“We found a lack of meaningful activities for people with increased levels of dementia.” from the report
Audits did not lead to all needed action
needs fixingThe manager identified problems through audits and created an action plan. However, some issues, especially environmental concerns, remained unresolved.
“However, action had not been taken to address other issues. For example, improvement of the home environment which had been identified needing urgent action.” from the report
Private information was not always secure
needs fixingCare records were left unattended and stored in a cupboard with a broken lock. The manager arranged for a new cupboard after inspectors raised this.
“We observed staff left people's care records on a table in the reception area unattended.” from the report
- 01What repairs and refurbishment have been completed since the inspection, including the heating, carpets, taps, walls, ceilings and bathroom door?
- 02How do you now monitor people for signs that their health is getting worse, and how quickly do you contact medical services?
- 03What individual activities are available for people with dementia, limited mobility or who spend time in their rooms?
- 04How do you make sure actions identified by audits are completed and checked?
- 05How are care records and other private information kept secure and made available in accessible formats?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, and it also included a detailed review of oral health support as part of a national review. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 February 2019 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 Beechcroft Care Home
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2020Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2016GoodSafe: Good
- January 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 18 January 2016.
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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