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Beacon House, Bedford.

Beacon House in Bedford is a Nursing home specialising in the provision of services relating to accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care, caring for adults over 65 yrs, dementia, physical disabilities and treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The last inspection date here was 28th November 2017

Beacon House is managed by Lansglade Homes Limited who are also responsible for 4 other locations

Contact Details:

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-Led: Good
Overall: Good

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2017-11-28
    Last Published 2017-11-28

Local Authority:

    Bedford

Link to this page:

    HTML   BBCode

Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

31st October 2017 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Beacon House provides accommodation, support and care, including nursing care, for up to 40 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. 31 people were living at the service on the day of our inspection.

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an expert by experience who had experience of people living with dementia. At the last inspection on 1 December 2015 the service was rated as ‘good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘good’.

A registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Staff understood what was important to each person and worked closely with each other and other professionals to promote people’s well-being.

People had care plans in place. These recorded people’s individual choices, their likes and dislikes and any assistance they required. Risks to people who lived at the service were identified, and plans were put into place by staff to minimise these risks and enable people to live as independent and safe life as possible.

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 support this practice.

People and relatives said staff were kind and caring. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People were confident to raise any concerns they had and felt that they would be dealt with appropriately.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and were supported by the registered manager to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge by way of supervision, observations, and appraisals. Staff were trained to provide safe and effective care which met people’s individual needs and knew people’s care requirements well. Staff had the necessary training and used recognised distraction techniques to lessen people’s anxiety.

Arrangements were in place to ensure the quality of the service provided for people was regularly monitored. We found that people who lived at the service and their relatives were encouraged to share their views and feedback about the quality of the care and support provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

1st December 2015 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Beacon House provides accommodation, support and care, including nursing care, for up to 40 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. 31 people were living at the service on the day of our inspection.

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an expert by experience who had experience of people living with dementia. At the last inspection on 1 December 2015 the service was rated as ‘good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘good’.

A registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Staff understood what was important to each person and worked closely with each other and other professionals to promote people’s well-being.

People had care plans in place. These recorded people’s individual choices, their likes and dislikes and any assistance they required. Risks to people who lived at the service were identified, and plans were put into place by staff to minimise these risks and enable people to live as independent and safe life as possible.

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 support this practice.

People and relatives said staff were kind and caring. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People were confident to raise any concerns they had and felt that they would be dealt with appropriately.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and were supported by the registered manager to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge by way of supervision, observations, and appraisals. Staff were trained to provide safe and effective care which met people’s individual needs and knew people’s care requirements well. Staff had the necessary training and used recognised distraction techniques to lessen people’s anxiety.

Arrangements were in place to ensure the quality of the service provided for people was regularly monitored. We found that people who lived at the service and their relatives were encouraged to share their views and feedback about the quality of the care and support provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

19th June 2014 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

We gathered evidence against the outcomes we inspected to help answer our five key questions; Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and from looking at records.

Is the service safe?

The people we spoke with told us they felt safe living at Beacon House. One person said, “I really do like being here. Everyone is so caring; they all make me feel very safe.” We observed that care plans included risk assessments to promote people’s safety such as assessments for malnutrition, the risk of falls and movement and handling. We also observed staff used safe movement and handling techniques.

Staff told us that they involved other health and social care professionals to support people with their needs. We saw evidence to confirm this in the care records, with evidence of engagement with mental health professionals and GPs.

We found that the premises were well maintained with no risks to people's safety. We saw windows were fitted with appropriate safety equipment such as window restrictors and that call bells were accessible throughout the home. We found no evidence of trip hazards and saw that people had easy access to the outside of the home.

We found that there was enough staff on duty to support people safely and to meet their needs appropriately.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLs). We found the location to be meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Is the service effective?

We found that people or their relatives were involved in their care planning. It was evident that people had stated their preferences, and this meant steps were taken to involve people in making decisions about their care and support. We observed that staff we spoke with had a good understanding of people’s needs and knew how they preferred to be supported. This meant people were supported appropriately in relation to their needs.

The records we reviewed evidenced that the risks around people’s nutrition and hydration and other specific needs were monitored and managed.

Is the service caring?

We observed that staff had a good understanding and knowledge of people’s needs and preferences and supported them appropriately. People told us that staff were all very caring. One person said, “I know that people look after me and care for me.” We saw that staff were respectful and promoted the dignity of the people who used the service.

Is the service responsive?

During our inspection we found that call bells were responded to in a timely manner. The staff team had regular updates of their training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs. This ensured that people were cared for, at all times, by staff that had the appropriate training.

The home had an activity coordinator in place to provide stimulation for the people who lived at Beacon House. A variety of internal activities and visiting entertainers provided entertainment for people, who told us they enjoyed this.

We found that a variety of stakeholders had been requested to give their views on the care provided as part of satisfaction questionnaires. The manager confirmed these had been evaluated and we reviewed a copy of the improvements that needed to be actioned.

Is the service well- led?

At the time of our inspection we found that the service had a registered manager in place. A previous registered manager had yet to apply to deregister and we discussed this with the provider who advised us they would make the appropriate application.

Staff told us they felt able to speak with the manager and were confident the manager would address any issues they raised.

We found that there were effective procedures in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Systems were in place to ensure that staff had the right skills to care for people safely and individual plans of care reflected people’s health care needs and personal preferences.

4th December 2013 - During an inspection in response to concerns pdf icon

In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time. A qualified nurse has since been appointed to manage the home and is currently submitting their application to become registered manager.

Prior to this inspection the Care Quality Commission (CQC) received information of concern about the care and welfare of people at Beacon House. Although we had no information to suggest that harm had been caused, it was alleged there had been issues in respect of possible poor care and neglect. We found no evidence to substantiate these allegations.

We spoke with four people and one visitor and found that people were content with the care and support they received. Some people we met had dementia care needs and exhibited variable behaviour. We reviewed their care records to ensure the care they received was documented and agreed by them or their representatives.

People we spoke with told us they were happy. One person said, “Staff are always kind to me and listen to what I want.” Another said, “I’m happy, it's ok here.” A visitor told us, "I am always greeted by friendly staff." We observed staff providing care and saw they were responsive to the needs of people. During our observations we noted that one person appeared cold. Staff offered them a blanket and ensured they were comfortable.

10th June 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

During our visit to Beacon House on 10 June 2013, we observed a friendly and homely environment, with positive interactions between staff and residents. People looked relaxed and well cared for and we saw staff took time to talk with people.

At the time of our visit, 30 people were living in the home. We spoke with seven people, although due to some people's dementia needs, not everyone was able to tell us about their experiences at Beacon House. We therefore used a number of methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, including observation and talking with people's relatives and care staff.

One person's representative said they were happy with the care provided. They told us, "I visit on a regular basis and staff are always really very kind to me and .... Although they are busy, they take time to talk." People who were able to speak with us told us they felt well cared for and were always supported by staff. Two people said that staff were "lovely", and one person said, "I like being here. The home is nice and I get the care I need."

We observed staff respecting people's privacy and dignity and providing respectful care and support to people. We observed this was delivered in line with the care records we reviewed in order to meet people's needs.

We saw that clear processes were in place to manage any concerns or complaints made. The home had received a number of compliments which were displayed for people to read.

11th October 2012 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

At the time of our visit to Beacon House on 11 October 2012, 28 people were living at the home. We spoke with eight people living there, and three peoples’ relatives, all who spoke highly of the home, the staff and care provided. Everyone told us they felt their needs, or those of their relative, were met, and they were made to feel ‘at home’.

Three people told us the staff were “wonderful” and “very caring”, and other people told us they “couldn’t fault anything about the care or home”.

One person had recently been admitted to the home and said they were “very happy” and enjoyed living there.

We observed a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, with good interactions between all staff members and people within the home.

 

 

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