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CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Choice Support

Benham Lodge

42 Pelham Road, Gravesend, DA11 0HZ

Goodpublished 8 December 2023, 2 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks were assessed, staffing was sufficient, medicines were managed safely and the environment was well maintained.
Effective?
Good
Care plans reflected people's needs and choices. Staff had relevant training and competency checks, and the home worked with health professionals to support people's health.
Caring?
Good
Staff were kind and respectful. People were supported to communicate in their preferred way, make choices and maintain their privacy, dignity and independence.
Responsive?
Good
Care plans were personalised and covered people's preferences, communication and daily living needs. People were supported with relationships, activities, interests and access to the community.
Well-led?
Good
The home had an open culture and regular checks on care, medicines, staffing, health and safety and infection control. The manager worked with staff, families and other professionals to improve care.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, December 2023

Benham Lodge is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care across all five areas.

Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 24 October 2023. Two inspectors spoke with people, staff and the registered manager. They observed care and reviewed care records, staff files, medicines information and management records.

The home supported eight people with learning disabilities and autism. Inspectors found people were safe, treated with kindness and involved in decisions about their care. Staff understood people's communication methods, supported their independence and helped them take part in activities and community life.

All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The previous rating was also Good in 2020 under the previous provider. This was the first inspection under the new provider.

What inspectors praised

  • Safe staffing

    Inspectors found enough suitable staff. Staff had time to spend with people and knew them well.

    “The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff. We observed staff had time to spend individually with people and knew everyone very well.” from the report

  • Kind and respectful care

    People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff protected privacy and supported independence.

    “People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity.” from the report

  • Communication and choice

    Staff understood different ways of communicating and helped people make choices about their care.

    “People's support plans were in easy read or pictorial formats and people were able to understand them.” from the report

  • Personalised support

    Care plans included people's preferences, skills and routines. People were supported to pursue interests and use community facilities.

    “Support plans were personalised and each person's preferred personal care routines were detailed incorporating their preferences and skills as to what they could do for themselves.” from the report

  • Working with health services

    The home worked with health and social care professionals and acted on advice about people's needs.

    “Staff are always accommodating and are regularly in touch with our surgery to maintain the health and well-being of all the residents.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • Training still being rolled out

    minor

    The home had enrolled staff for Oliver McGowan training, but this was still being rolled out at the time of inspection. Families may wish to ask how much has now been completed.

    “We have enrolled our staff to complete the Oliver McGowan training.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How many staff have now completed the Oliver McGowan training, and when will the remaining staff complete it?
  2. 02How would you support my relative's preferred way of communicating, including any pictures, symbols, gestures or sounds?
  3. 03How are my relative's health needs, medicines and risks reviewed when their needs change?
  4. 04What activities and community opportunities would be available for my relative based on their interests?
  5. 05How would my family member and our family be involved in care planning and raising any concerns?

This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, including the premises and care provided; it was the first inspection under the new provider. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 December 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Benham Lodge

2 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. December 2023Goodcurrent rating
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Benham Lodge →

  2. December 2020Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated
  3. November 2017Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
  4. May 2023

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 May 2023.

Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission. A service can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections, not every contact the CQC has had with the service.

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