Beech Grove, a community-based service which supports people with mental health needs provides a “happy and safe” environment where people have “maximum choice and control of their lives”.
The findings came as part of the first CQC inspection and report for the enhanced care, community-based residential services provided by Beech Grove, part of Elysium. The service, which supports six people and is based in Keighley in West Yorkshire, was rated Good in all areas in this its first inspection since opening.
There was praise throughout the report for the service. It particularly noted that people at Beech Grove are supported to have “maximum choice and control of their lives” in a place where they feel “happy and safe” living. Inspectors also praised the home’s environment calling it “modern, spacious and well-maintained to meet the needs of people.”
The report noted that people were supported to be as independent as possible, saying:
“People were encouraged to be as independent as possible with activities of daily living including food preparation. Educational work and activities were in place to support people with maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle.”
Beech Grove is a residential care service which aims to support people who do not need an in-patient service but whose needs cannot be met in generic residential or supported living services. It supports people who are currently living in the community but who may require a period of support within a structured environment with intensive care and support to help avoid a hospital admission. It can also support people moving on from hospital and who need more support before moving to a more independent living environment.
The service is a community house which provides a setting where people with complex mental health needs lead full and valued lives, enabling them to live more independently. This is achieved through a programme of active community engagement, developing meaningful social networks, managing risk and developing robust coping strategies.
The report, published recently, praises staff’s kindness and ‘empowerment’ of people in helping them to live as independently as possible. One person said: “The staff are fantastic.”
As well as praise from people supported at the service, staff working at Beech Grove were also positive, with one telling the inspector: “I love working here, the medicines training is the best I’ve ever had, it’s so thorough and I feel really confident now.”
People were supported positively to do the things they enjoy and develop social skills and confidence as a result of the ‘consistent, personalised care’, the report added with inspectors noting: “People were supported to access a range of personalised activities and encouraged to maintain hobbies and interests and explore new hobbies and staff used activities to engage people in therapeutic interventions and develop skills and independence.” One person proudly told inspectors about a voluntary role they had taken up with a local church.
There was also praise about the care and support at Beech Grove. People, inspectors found, “were treated with kindness and as equals by the staff with one person telling them: “The staff are fantastic.”
These views are echoed in a special “Care in Focus” published on Elysium’s website. This short video includes a tour by a person supported at Beech Grove. In it, she shares her feelings on living safely in a community home environment with staff support as she maintains her independence.
To learn more about Beech Grove, head to the site’s location page.
