Background to this inspection
Updated
24 March 2021
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
The Cedars Home Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission.
Notice of inspection
We carried out the inspection visit on 10 February 2021. We gave the service short notice of the inspection as we were mindful of the impact and added pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic on the service. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances and requirements arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we held about the home which included statutory
notifications and safeguarding alerts. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with the manager, the nominated individual and four care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We looked at four care records and three staff records; we also looked at various documents relating to the management of the service.
After the inspection
We spoke to 11 relatives of people who used the service.
Updated
24 March 2021
The Cedars Home Care provides personal care services to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 73 people were receiving a personal care service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us people they were happy with the care and support they received because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff.
People had access to healthcare services and were involved in decisions about their care. Partnerships with other agencies and health professionals enabled effective outcomes for people. Staff supported people to take medicines safely.
Risks to people were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff understood the actions needed to minimise the risk of avoidable harm including the prevention of avoidable infection. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in identifying and reporting any concerns of potential abuse or poor
practice.
People praised the managers of the service and agreed that they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the manager.
The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs.
Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff knew people well.
People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Care plans contained information about each person’s individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and we found evidence of good outcomes for people. When people did not have the capacity to make their own decisions, staff maximised their involvement and made decisions in their best interests, in accordance with legislation.
Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.
People told us that staff were able to meet their needs and were respectful of their individual preferences. Relatives told us staff who supported their loved ones were kind and caring.
People confirmed the service did not miss any care calls and that staff were usually on time.
People received care and support from a small group of staff, which provided consistency.
The managers of the service actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the service and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.
The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published on 27 March 2018).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.