This inspection took place on the 29 and 30 August 2018 and was unannounced on the first day and announced on the second. The service had not previously been inspected whilst being managed by the current provider.

Beech Court Care Centre is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Beech Court Care Centre accommodates 50 people across three separate units, each of which have separate adapted facilities. One of the units specialises in providing care to people living with dementia, one specialised in providing care for younger people with learning disabilities and the other unit worked with older people. 49 people were using the service at the time of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

We found that medicines were not managed safely and had not been recorded correctly. We have recommended the nurses complete refresher training in medicines administration and work to best practice standards.

There were appropriate safeguarding procedures at the service. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs. Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place. Risk assessments were completed to support people in a safe manner. There were infection control procedures utilised. Steps had been taken to help ensure the premises were safe.

People’s needs were assessed before they started using the service. Staff were happy with the training they received. New staff received an induction. People told us they enjoyed the food and were supported to eat where necessary. They were supported to access relevant health care professionals. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us and we observed that staff were caring. Staff understood the need to respect people’s privacy and dignity and people confirmed they did this in practice. People’s independence was promoted.

Care plans were detailed and ensured staff knew what people’s needs and preferences were and how best to meet them. Care plans were regularly reviewed. There was an activities coordinator and people were supported and encouraged to engage in various activities. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

People and staff knew who the registered manager was and spoke positively about them. There were robust quality assurance systems in place. The provider sought feedback from people who used the service to drive improvement.