This inspection took place on 4 and 9 January 2017 and was unannounced.

Beech Lodge provides accommodation with personal care or nursing care for up to 40 people. There were 29 people living at the home when we visited.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff knew how to protect people from harm and abuse. They knew how to report any concerns if they suspected someone had suffered potential abuse. Risks to people's safety had been assessed, and staff knew how to support people to reduce any risk of harm. There were enough staff to meet people's needs and the provider had safe recruitment processes in place to ensure that staff were suitable to work with people. People were supported to take their medicines safely and risks of harm to people were assessed and action was taken to minimise the risks through the use of risk assessment.

People and their relatives told us they were happy with their care, and were cared for by staff who had been trained and had the required skills to support them. People were encouraged and supported to make their own decisions where possible and staff knew about the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). However, some people did not have formal assessments of their ability to make decisions for themselves.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and received access to health care professionals if their needs changed, or if they became unwell.

People were supported in a kind and caring manner by staff who knew them well, and their privacy and dignity was respected and promoted. Care was personalised and met people's individual needs and preferences.

People were able to participate in activities that they enjoyed. They knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and these were dealt with in a timely manner.

People were happy with the support they received from the service. Feedback was encouraged from people and their relatives. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities, and there were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and drive continuous improvement.

During the inspection we spoke with five people who used the service, four staff who provided support and the registered manager. We did this to understand the experiences of people who lived at the home.

Staff told us how they supported people to make decisions and people who used the service told us that they consented to their care and treatment. We spoke with staff who told us that they had not received training with regards to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

We observed people who used the service being treated in a caring and respectful way. One person told us, “The staff are wonderful”. Another person told us, “I feel happy here. The staff treat me well”.

We viewed records that showed care was planned and delivered in line with people’s preferences. Staff we spoke with knew the needs of people who used the service and how they preferred care to be carried out.

We saw that the provider had systems in place that prevented the risk of cross infection. We saw staff used protective equipment during our inspection and staff we spoke with understood the importance of infection control.

The provider had a recruitment system in place. We saw that staff had been checked to ensure that they were suitable to provide support to vulnerable people.

We saw that the provider had an effective complaints system in place. People we spoke with told us that they knew who to complain to if they needed to.

During the inspection we looked at four care records and spoke with people who used the service and their relatives. We spoke with staff and the registered manager. We did this to help us understand the outcomes and experiences of selected people who used the service.

We saw that people who used the service and their relatives were involved in the planning of their care. People we spoke with told us, "I told the manager what I wanted" and "I was involved with all aspects of my wife's care plan".

We observed staff treating people who used the service with dignity and respect. Staff listened to people's wishes and acted upon them. People we spoke with told us that they chose what they wanted to do. One person told us, "I like to stay in my room and watch television".

We saw that people appeared comfortable when staff were providing support and staff we spoke with understood the procedures to follow if they felt that someone was at risk of harm.

We viewed training records, which showed that staff had received mandatory training, but not all staff had undertaken the annual refresher training provided.

The provider had a schedule in place to provide regular supervisions to staff and staff felt supported in their role.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the service provided and where improvements had been identified an action plan had been put in place.

There were 27 people living at Beech Lodge when we visited on 15 November 2011. It was an unannounced visit which meant that the service did not know we were coming.

During the day we saw people sitting in two separate lounge areas as well as people receiving nursing care in their rooms. We observed people in the main lounge playing bingo; they were supported and encouraged by the staff.

A buffet lunch was provided for a person’s birthday party. There was an alternative hot meal for those people who required a soft diet. A singer visited the home to provide the party with entertainment.

People who lived at Beech Lodge told us “It’s very nice here, they look after me well.” We spoke to five people who were visiting the home. One person who was visiting a relative said “I am very happy, my relative is being well looked after”. Other visitors to the service said that the staff were very busy, particularly at meal times.

We talked to four staff members during the day and we were told, “It is very nice here, I enjoy my job”.