Archived: Cypress Court

Updated 9 March 2022

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 provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Cypress Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Cypress Court is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also observed interactions between staff and people living at Cypress Court.

We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, nurses, senior care staff, care workers, maintenance and ancillary staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also looked at a sample of temporary (agency) worker records in relation to suitability for the role and induction. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found.

Updated 9 March 2022

About the service

Cypress Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 60 people. The service provides support to older people in one adapted building across two floors. At the time of our inspection there were 57 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Improvements were needed to ensure the registered manager kept up to date with current government guidance so the service was fully prepared to ensure the rights of people were upheld in the event of a further outbreak of COVID-19.

Appropriate checks on temporary (agency) and permanent members of staff were in place to ensure they were suitable for the role before commencing employment. Staffing levels were safely planned in way which was determined by people’s needs.

Care plans were in place and were supported by appropriate risk assessments to ensure people’s needs were met. Care plans were person centred and reflective of people’s personal preferences.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Systems were in place to monitor and appropriately report accidents and incidents to external agencies.

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 the service under the previous provider was requires improvement (published 03 April 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook a targeted inspection to follow up on specific concerns which we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about visiting during an outbreak of COVID-19. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

We inspected and found there was a concern with how the registered manager had implemented national guidance on visiting, so we widened the scope of the inspection to become a focused inspection which included the key questions of safe and well-led.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.