We inspected Beech Court Care Home on the 18 October 2018, the visit was unannounced. Beech Court Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 Home is registered for 23 people in one adapted building. On the day of our inspection, 13 people were living at the service.

There was a registered manager in post who was available throughout the inspection. 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.

At our last inspection the provider was found to be in breach of two regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014. During this inspection we found the provider had made improvements and was no longer in breach of these regulations.

People at the service were protected from the risk of abuse, as the staff were aware of their responsibilities in relation to keeping people safe. There were established procedures and protocols in place to guide staff should they suspect abuse, and the registered manager dealt with any safeguarding incidences thoroughly. The registered manager had processes in place to ensure learning from safeguarding incidents took place to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

The risks to people’s safety were assessed, and measures to reduce risks were in place to protect people from harm. However, one care plan we viewed lacked information and guidance on a specific area of care. Following our inspection, the registered manager sent us information to show how they had addressed this, and what measures were in place to prevent reoccurrence of this oversight. There were enough staff to meet the needs of the people at the service, and the registered manager regularly reviewed staffing levels to ensure sufficient staff were available to support people. Safe recruitment practices were in place.

Overall, the management of people’s medicines was safe. However, we found some minor concerns, following our inspection, the registered manager sent us information to show how they had addressed this. People were protected from the risks of cross infection, as staff undertook safe practices in relation to infection prevention, and the provider had addressed concerns over adequate hand washing facilities that had been highlighted during the inspection.

People’s needs were assessed using nationally recognised assessment tools and staff supporting people received adequate training to guide them in their roles.

People’s nutritional needs were well managed and people received diets appropriate to their needs. People’s health needs were supported by staff who worked with the relevant health professionals to manage this. People lived in an environment that met their needs.

Staff sought consent from people before caring for them and they understood and followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA). 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 supported this practice.

People were supported by a caring group of staff who listened to their views and ensured their choices and preferences were met. People received person centred individualised care. They were treated with dignity and respect, and staff supported their independence.

People were supported to join in with several social activities provided by the service. Their concerns and complaints were dealt with in line with the providers complaints policy.

People were supported at the

This unannounced inspection took place on 4 and 6 December 2017. Beech Court Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single packages under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Beech Court Care Home accommodates up to 23 people in one adapted building. On the day of our inspection 14 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager at the time of our inspection. 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Risks to people’s health and safety were identified and assessed although further improvements were required to ensure that good practice was followed and people remained safe. We have made a recommendation about the use and review of bed rails. People were supported by staff who knew how to recognise abuse and who were confident to act to keep people safe from harm.

People were generally supported by enough staff. People received their medicines as prescribed, although some additional information and checks were required. People lived in a clean environment although improvements were required to ensure the risk of spread of infection was reduced.

People were not always provided with timely support to eat and drink well. People were supported by staff who received training, although some gaps in staff training and knowledge were evident. People who lacked capacity to make certain decisions could not always be assured their rights would be upheld in accordance with legislation.

People lived in a service which met their needs in relation to the premises and adaptations had been made when required. Information was available in the event that people needed to leave the service and staff monitored and responded to people’s changing health conditions.

People lived in a service where staff knew them well. Staff spoke about people warmly and were knowledgeable about their needs and backgrounds. People were supported to maintain their privacy and dignity although it was observed that further improvements could be made.

People’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and people and their relatives were involved in producing and reviewing care plans. People were offered opportunities to take part in social activities. People were given opportunities to make a complaint or raise concerns about the service they received.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service, however, these were not fully effective. People, their relatives and staff were complimentary of the management of the service. The provider sought people’s feedback in relation to the service they received and staff told us there was an open working culture which supported them in their role.

This is the first time the service has been rated Requires Improvement. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.