7,8, July 2015
During a routine inspection
We inspected Cedars Care Home on 7 and 8 July 2015. The inspection was unannounced. Cedars Care Home was last inspected in August 2014, no concerns were identified at that inspection.
Cedars Care Home provides residential care for up to 66 older people, including those living with dementia. On the day of the inspection 48 people were receiving care services from the provider. The home had 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.
During our inspection we spoke with six people who used the service and two relatives. We also spoke with four care staff, the registered manager of the service and the registered manager.
During our visit to the service we looked at the care records for eight people and looked at records that related to how the service was managed.
People who used this service were safe. The care staff knew how to identify if a person may be at risk of harm and the action to take if they had concerns about a person’s safety.
The care staff knew the people they were supporting and the choices they had made about their care and their lives. People who used the service, and those who were important to them, were included in planning and agreeing to the care provided.
The decisions people made were respected. People were supported to maintain their independence and control over their lives. People received care from a team of staff who they knew and who knew them.
People were treated with kindness and respect. People we spoke with told us, “Staff are smashing, I have no complaints.”
The registered manager used safe recruitment systems to ensure that new staff were only employed if they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. The staff employed by the service were aware of their responsibility to protect people from harm or abuse. They told us they would be confident reporting any concerns to a senior person in the service or to the local authority or CQC.
There were sufficient staff, with appropriate experience, training and skills to meet people’s needs. The service was well managed and took appropriate action if expected standards were not met. This ensured people received a safe service that promoted their rights and independence.
Staff were well supported through a system of induction, training, supervision, appraisal and professional development. There was a positive culture within the service which was demonstrated by the attitudes of staff when we spoke with them and their approach to supporting people to maintain their independence.
The service was well-led. There was a comprehensive, formal quality assurance process in place. Although these processes did not always identify areas of improvement or where mistakes had been made.
There were good systems in place for care staff or others to raise any concerns with the registered manager.