Biggleswade nursing home praised as ‘safe and well led’ is rated as ‘Good’ by Care Quality Commission

Biggleswade‘s Beaumont Park is delighted to have received a ‘Good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The Shortmead Street nursing and residential home, run by care provider Healthcare Homes, was praised by the social care watchdog for providing “a safe” and “well-led” environment.

Inspectors carried out an unannounced visit in October and rated the home as ‘good’ in the safe, effective and well-led categories. However, it was rated as ‘requires improvement’ in the responsive category.

Home manager Sharon Lamb said: “We’re delighted to have received a ‘Good’ overall rating from the inspection team. This reflects the hard work and excellent care provided daily by my team here at Beaumont Park.”

In light of Covid-19, the CQC also ran an infection prevention and control inspection to look at “how well people using a service are kept safe from the spread of infections”.

The inspectors judged the categories as: Visitors – Somewhat Assured; Shielding – Assured; Admission – Assured; Use of PPE – Assured; Testing – Assured; Premises – Somewhat Assured; Staffing – Assured; Policies – Assured.

The report states: “People and relatives felt they or their family members were safe living at the service. One person said: ‘I feel very safe. If I do not feel right, then [staff] look after me. I have [health appointment] when I need it and staff help me to stay safe and healthy.’

“People and relatives were [also] positive about their or their family members support. One relative said: ‘[Staff] are lovely, kind and helpful and I have no concerns.”’

It added: “Staff had training and a good understanding of what abuse might look like. They knew how to report concerns outside of the service to authorities such as the local authority safeguarding team or CQC.

“They [the management] assured us they would be reviewing staffing levels and consider how to maximise staff time so they could spend more quality time with people.”

Healthcare Homes CEO Gordon Cochrane said: “Our residents are our primary concern and we strive to ensure they are always safe, happy and well cared for. As a care operator with a strong track record in care quality, we are delighted that Beaumont Park has been recognised as a ‘Good’ home.”