The Beeches Care Home is situated in the village of Armthorpe on the outskirts of Doncaster, close to local shops and amenities. It is a purpose built home providing care for up to 32 older people. The home has bedrooms on the first and ground level of the building. There is parking and a secure garden at the rear of the building.

This unannounced inspection took place on 28 March 2017. The home was previously inspected in March 2016, when a breach of legal requirements was identified regarding staff recruitment. Following that inspection, the provider sent us an action plan identifying what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach. This inspection was undertaken to check that they had followed their plan and now met all of the legal requirements.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for 'The Beeches' on our website at www.cqc.org.uk'

At this inspection we found the service had made improvements and met all relevant fundamental standards. We found recruitment procedures were now robust, thereby ensuring essential checks were completed prior to staff commencing employment. We also found the process for inducting new staff to the service had improved.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

Throughout the inspection we received positive feedback from people using the service and the visitors we spoke with. We observed that people were treated with respect, kindness and understanding. We saw staff took account of people’s individual needs and preferences, while supporting them in a dignified way.

People told us they felt safe living at the home. Assessments identified potential risks to people, and management plans were in place to reduce these risks. Staff were knowledgeable about how to recognise signs of potential abuse and aware of the reporting procedures.

We found there was sufficient staff with the right skills and competencies to meet the assessed needs of people living in the home. Overall staff had received training to meet people’s assessed needs, with further training being arranged.

Systems were in place to make sure people received their medications safely, which included key staff receiving medication training.

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 had a varied diet which they said they enjoyed. We saw people could access a range of health care professionals including their GP, district nurses and dieticians.

People had access to activities which provided regular in-house stimulation, as well as trips out into the community. People told us they enjoyed the activities they took part in.

People using the service, relatives and staff were happy with the way the service was run. They spoke positively about the registered manager, who they said was helpful, supportive and a good communicator. There were systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service provided and highlighting areas for improvement. We found the registered manager and staff team listened to and learnt from the feedback of others, to make changes and improve the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

The inspection took place on 30 and 31 March 2016 and was unannounced on the first day. We last inspected the service in October 2013 when it was found to be meeting the regulations we assessed.

The Beeches is situated in the village of Armthorpe on the outskirts of Doncaster. It is a purpose built home providing care for up to 32 older people, including people living with dementia. The home has bedrooms on the first and ground level of the building. None of the bedrooms have en-suite facilities. There is parking and a secure garden at the rear of the building. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people living at the home.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

The home had a friendly atmosphere which people described as welcoming. Throughout our inspection we saw staff supporting people in an inclusive, caring, responsive and friendly manner. They encouraged people to be as independent as possible, while taking into consideration their abilities and any risks associated with their care. The people we spoke with made positive comments about how staff delivered care and said they were happy with the way the home was managed.

People told us they felt the home was a safe place to live. We saw there were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding people from abuse, and were able to explain the procedures to follow should there be any concerns of this kind. Assessments identified any potential risks to people, such as risk of falling, and care files contained management plans to reduce these risks.

Medicines were stored safely and procedures were in place to ensure they were administered correctly. We saw people received their medications from staff who had been trained to carry out this role.

There was a recruitment system in place that helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. However, this had not always been consistently followed. For example, we found one staff member did not have a second reference on file. We also found little evidence to show they had received a structured induction when they started to work at the home. This was a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

Staff had access to a varied training programme and support to help them meet the needs of the people who used the service.

People were provided with a choice of healthy food and drink ensuring their nutritional needs were met. We saw specialist diets were provided if needed and the people we spoke with said they were happy with the meals available.

People’s needs had been assessed before they moved into the home to make sure their needs could be met. People living at the home, as well as their relatives, had been involved in planning care. Care files reflected people’s needs and preferences in satisfactory detail, but some lacked details about people’s abilities to do things themselves. Care plans and risk assessments had been reviewed on a regular basis to assess if the planned care was working, or if changes needed to be made.

People had access to a varied activities programme which provided regular in-house and community activities. People told us they enjoyed the activities they took part in, but could choose not to participate if they preferred.

The company’s complaints policy was available to people using or visiting the service. People told us they had no complaints, but would feel comfortable speaking to staff if they had any concerns.

There was a system in place to enable people to share their opinion of the service provided and

We carried out this inspection because when we visited the home in September 2013, we found the provider did not ensure that care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. We therefore issued a compliance action. The provider wrote to us and told us the action they would take achieve compliance.

At this inspection we looked at three people’s care plans and found clear evidence to confirm people’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was delivered in line with their individual care plan.

We spoke with two relatives who told us they were very satisfied with the care provided at the home. One relative said, “Mum has been here for over two years and the staff look after her very well.” Another relative said, “Staff always keep me informed if my relative is unwell, they (the staff) are kind and caring.”

People we spoke with said, “I like living here, staff are very nice, they look after us and make sure we are safe.”

We spoke with five people who used the service and four relatives who were visiting the home at the time of the inspection. People told us they enjoyed the activities at the home. They said the activity coordinator made sure there was something different to do most days.

People experienced care, treatment and support that mostly met their needs and protected their rights. One person we spoke with said, “The staff knows my likes and dislikes.” Relatives said they were mostly happy with the care people received. One relative told us their parent had lived at the home for over two years and they were very satisfied with the care.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. This included staff receiving training in this subject and the provision of protective equipment. Relatives we spoke with told us they always found the home to be clean and fresh.

People received the care and treatment from suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

The people who lived in the home were kept safe because the provider had taken steps to maintain the building and we saw that regular health and safety checks had been carried out.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because their records had been reviewed and updated regularly. People who used the service was familiar with how to raise concerns.

People we spoke with told us that the care provided at the home met their needs and they felt able to tell staff if they needed extra help. People told us they had looked at other homes before choosing the Beeches, but wanted to stay where they had always lived which was in Armthorpe. People told us they felt safe at the home and would tell the manager if they had concerns about anything. People said the food was good and there was lots of choice. One person told us “I’m going to try the curry and rice today, but if I don’t like it staff will bring me the braising steak.”