CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Beeches
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were recorded with guidance for staff, medicines were given as prescribed and there were enough staff to keep people safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had the training and skills needed to support people. People received suitable food, help with healthcare and support to make decisions wherever possible.
- Caring?
- Good
- People and relatives described kind and respectful care. Staff supported privacy, dignity, independence and people's day-to-day choices.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Care was strongly personalised and based on people's histories, wishes and interests. Activities, care reviews and support at the end of life were adapted to individual needs.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- The home had strong leadership, an open culture and effective quality checks. People, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals were encouraged to give feedback and help improve the service.
What inspectors found, April 2020
Rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found safe, kind and highly personalised care, with caring rated Good.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 06 March 2020. One inspector spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They also reviewed care records, medicines records, training information and quality checks.
The home was rated Good for safe, effective and caring care. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable risk assessments, good staff training, nutritious food and respectful support. People were involved in decisions and received support with their health needs.
The home was rated Outstanding for responsive care and for being well-led. Inspectors found care was highly personalised, activities reflected people's interests, complaints were acted on, and managers used feedback and audits to improve the service.
The overall rating remained Outstanding, as it was at the previous inspection published on 22 August 2017. The caring rating fell from Outstanding to Good because the service no longer met the specific characteristics for an Outstanding rating in that area.
Personalised care
Care plans included detailed information about people's histories, preferences and what mattered to them. Staff knew this information and used it to support people in individual ways.
“People received exceptionally personalised care and support which they were in control of.” from the report
Meaningful activities
Activities were based on people's interests and requests. The home offered clubs and individual support, including memory activities, knitting and computer sessions.
“Activities and events were planned according to people's requests, interests and things they enjoyed” from the report
Strong leadership
Inspectors found strong management and regular checks on quality. The home used feedback, incidents and audits to identify improvements.
“The provider and registered manager continually sought opportunities to improve and develop how the service was led” from the report
End of life care
The home discussed people's end of life wishes with them and their relatives. Staff had received relevant training and relatives gave very positive feedback about this care.
“The service was passionate about providing compassionate and respectful end of life care to people.” from the report
Caring rating reduced
minorThe caring rating changed from Outstanding to Good since the previous inspection. Inspectors said people were still well supported, but the service no longer met the specific standard for Outstanding in this area.
“The service did not meet the specific characteristics for a rating of outstanding in this key question anymore.” from the report
- 01How will you assess and record my relative's personal history, preferences and choices when they move in?
- 02How do you make sure there are enough staff when people need help at busy times?
- 03How will you involve me and my relative in care plan reviews, especially if their needs or preferences change?
- 04What activities would you offer based on my relative's interests, abilities and communication needs?
- 05How would you discuss and record my relative's wishes for end of life care?
This was an unannounced planned inspection that looked at all five key questions and rated the home overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 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, August 2017
Rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found exceptionally caring, personalised and well-led support, with safety and effectiveness rated Good.
This was an unannounced inspection on 11 and 13 July 2017. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff, healthcare professionals and activity providers. They observed care, mealtimes and activities, and reviewed care, medicines, staffing and management records.
The home was rated Outstanding overall. Caring, responsive and well-led were rated Outstanding. Safe and effective were rated Good. Inspectors found enough staff, well-managed risks, safe medicines systems, skilled staff and good support for people's health, nutrition and decisions.
Inspectors found very kind and respectful care. Staff knew people's histories, preferences and interests and used this to support independence, activities, family contact and end of life wishes. The home had strong systems for listening to feedback and improving care.
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives consistently described warm, compassionate care. Inspectors observed patience, respect, understanding and consent being maintained during support.
“Staff had built trusting, respectful and warm relationships with the people who used the service and their family members.” from the report
Personalised support
Staff used detailed knowledge of people's past lives, wishes and interests to shape daily care and support. This helped people stay involved and independent.
“People had been fully involved in the decisions around their care and support and staff had used innovative methods to achieve this.” from the report
Activities and quality of life
The home supported individual hobbies, community visits, family occasions and personal goals. Inspectors saw varied activities that encouraged inclusion and enjoyment.
“The service had gone to great lengths to meet people's social and leisure needs and understood the positive impact this achieved.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to respond promptly and support people without rushing. Medicines records checked during the visit were complete and accurate.
“Our observations during our inspection confirmed that there were consistently enough staff to meet people's needs in a prompt, individual and dedicated manner.” from the report
Strong leadership
The management team had created an open culture and used audits, feedback and wider good practice information to improve the home.
“The provider's quality monitoring system had successfully ensured that a high quality service was being delivered and that it continued to improve.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are staffing levels decided for my relative's individual needs, and how are they changed if those needs increase?
- 02How will you use my relative's history, interests, beliefs and wishes to plan their daily care and activities?
- 03What support is available for keeping in touch with family, including help with video calls or email?
- 04How would you support my relative's end of life wishes and involve our family in planning?
- 05How do you check that medicines are given as prescribed and recorded correctly?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions; the report says well-led improved from Good in August 2015 to Outstanding in July 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 August 2017 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. The report was longer than we could read in one go; the later sections may not be reflected.
Every inspection of The Beeches
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- April 2020Outstandingcurrent ratingstayed OutstandingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- August 2017Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- October 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 28 July 2014.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
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13 live-in carers within about an hour of Norfolk
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £990 to £1,120 a week. 9 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.