Beaufort House

The inspection was conducted on 17 August 2018 and was unannounced.

Accommodation was arranged over three floors which could be accessed by a staircase. There was a large open plan communal area for social interaction and a quiet room for people to use if required. People also had access to an enclosed garden which had seating and tables available.

A registered manager was 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.

At our last inspection in August 2017, we gave the service an overall rating of 'Requires improvement' and identified breaches of regulation 17 'Good Governance' and Regulation 18 'Staffing' of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Following the inspection, the provider wrote to us, detailing the action they would take to address the concerns.

At this inspection we found that appropriate actions had been taken and therefore the service was no longer in breach of these regulations.

People felt safe living at Beaufort House. Staff knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. Safeguarding investigations were thorough and identified learning to help prevent a reoccurrence.

There were sufficient staff employed to meet people's needs; keep them safe and provide them with person- centred support. Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place to ensure only suitable staff were employed.

Individual and environmental risks to people were managed effectively. Risk assessments identified risks to people and provided clear guidance to staff on how risks should be managed and mitigated.

Arrangements were in place for the safe management of medicines. People received their medicines as prescribed. The home was clean and staff followed best practice guidance to control the risk and spread of infection.

People's needs were met by staff who were competent, trained and supported appropriately in their role. Staff acted in the best interests of people and followed legislation designed to protect people's rights and freedom.

Procedures were in place to help ensure that people received consistent support when they moved between services.

Staff developed caring and positive relationships with people and were sensitive to their individual choices. People were treated with dignity and respect and staff protected people's privacy.

People were provided with individualised, person-centred care. Care plans contained detailed information to enable staff to provide care and support in a personalised way. People were empowered to make choices about all aspects of their lives. They had access to a range of activities suited to their individual interests.

People told us they were happy living at the home and had confidence in the management. People, family members and professionals reported that there had been improvements made in relation to the running of the service since the last inspection.

Staff were organised, motivated and worked well as a team. They felt supported and valued by the registered manager.

The provider was fully engaged in running the service and invited feedback from people, their families and professionals to help drive improvements. There were a clear auditing processes in place. The quality of the service was monitored and appropriate actions were taken when required.

The service worked in partnership with other agencies to help ensure that there was a team approach to providing effective and appropriate care to people.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found