CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at The Beeches Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home had measures to prevent and manage infection, used PPE safely, arranged testing and followed visiting guidance. The provider also said it had measures to reduce the risks from COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, February 2022
The Beeches Nursing Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and visiting arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inspection took place on 8 February 2022 and was announced one day beforehand. It was a targeted inspection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and whether staffing pressures were affecting people. They were assured that the home was using protective equipment safely, arranging testing, managing infections and following visiting guidance.
The home was inspected but not rated. This report does not provide an overall Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate rating.
Clear communication
The registered manager regularly communicated with people, staff and families about safety procedures and precautions.
“The registered manager was communicating with people, staff and family members regularly to make sure everyone had an understanding of procedures and precautions being taken, and how to keep people safe.” from the report
Infection control
The home had increased cleaning, including cleaning touch points, and made PPE available to staff and visitors.
“Additional measures had been put in place to increase cleaning schedules and regular cleaning of touch points around the service.” from the report
Testing and protective equipment
Inspectors were assured that the home used PPE effectively and safely and arranged regular COVID-19 testing for people and staff.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Family contact
The home supported contact with friends and family and followed the government guidance on care home visits.
“People were supported to maintain contact with friends and family.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are staffing pressures affecting care and support now, and what measures are in place if staffing levels fall?
- 02How are visits arranged now, including visits for people receiving end of life care?
- 03How often are shared touch points and other areas cleaned, and can we see the cleaning records and audits?
- 04How are COVID-19 testing and PPE managed for staff, visitors and people living in the home?
- 05How do you check that visiting professionals meet the current COVID-19 vaccination requirements or have an exemption?
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. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 February 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, July 2019
The Beeches Nursing Home was rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care, with some medicines and record-keeping gaps addressed during the visit.
This was an unannounced inspection on 2 July 2019. Inspectors spoke with people, staff, a healthcare professional and the manager. They reviewed care plans, medicines records, accidents, complaints, recruitment, training and quality checks.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were described as safe, treated with dignity and supported by staff who knew their needs and preferences.
Inspectors found some gaps in medicines records. They also found unsecured thickener tins and gaps in records about pressure mattress settings and personal care. The manager took immediate action on these issues during the inspection.
The overall Good rating means inspectors found the service consistently met people's needs and was well managed at the time of this inspection. The rating was unchanged from the previous inspection, published on 29 December 2016.
Consistent staffing
Inspectors found enough staff with the right skills and knowledge. The home had a consistent staff team and had not needed agency staff for two years.
“The service had not needed to use agency staff for the last two years as there was a consistent staff team.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported their privacy, dignity and independence. People and relatives spoke positively about how staff treated them.
“Staff were committed to ensuring people's needs were well met in a welcoming and friendly environment.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's individual needs, life histories and communication methods. Staff updated electronic care records when needs changed.
“People's care plans were regularly reviewed and updated when their needs and abilities changed.” from the report
End of life care
Staff had training and experience in end of life care. The service supported people's choices and worked with hospice and palliative care professionals.
“People were supported to make decisions and plans about their preferences for end of life care.” from the report
Learning and improvement
The provider used audits, surveys and feedback to identify changes. Inspectors saw examples of the service responding to concerns about medicines and records.
“Quality assurance systems were in place and used effectively to monitor key aspects of the service.” from the report
Medicines records
needs fixingInspectors found gaps in medicines records. The manager took immediate action and was moving to an electronic medicines recording system.
“There were some gaps found in medicines records.” from the report
Unsecured thickener tins
needs fixingSeveral tins of thickener in three rooms were not secure. The manager secured them immediately and told staff about the issue.
“However, we observed several tins in three different rooms were not secure.” from the report
Gaps in care records
minorSome records about pressure mattress settings and personal care were incomplete. Inspectors did not find evidence that people were missing the care they needed, but the manager agreed to amend the system.
“Records recording pressure mattress settings had some gaps in personal care information.” from the report
- 01How are medicines now recorded and checked to make sure they are given as prescribed and on time?
- 02What checks make sure thickener and other items linked to people's swallowing needs are stored safely?
- 03How do you check that pressure mattress settings and personal care records are complete?
- 04How are people's end of life wishes recorded and shared with staff and families?
- 05How are activities chosen for people who spend much of their time in their room or in bed?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five key questions, including the premises and care provided; the overall and five question ratings had all been Good at the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 July 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 The Beeches Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- July 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 4 September 2015.
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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10 live-in carers within about two hours of Cornwall
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 £980 to £1,200 a week. 8 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“He had been a little anxious before she arrived, but has since stated that he would be very happy for her to care for him again”
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