Cherry Lodge

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

People’s needs assessments were completed before they moved into the service and were undertaken with the input of the person and their relatives, where appropriate. The assessments were used to inform the care plans and risk assessments, which were kept under review. A relative told us, “[Family member] had an assessment before [they] moved in, [staff] spoke with us and [family member]. [Family member] has a care plan, [staff] ask if we are happy.” Another relative said they were, “Consulted at the beginning and this is ongoing, all [family member’s] needs met.”

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

People’s care records demonstrated industry recognised tools were used to assess risks and mitigate them. This included tools in relation to skin integrity and eating and drinking.

People’s nutritional and hydration needs were assessed and met. Catering staff told us they understood people’s individual needs and how they were met, including specific textures of food and drink. A person told us, “The food is good, we get nice food here and enough, I can have a drink when I want.” A relative told us, “[Family member] is putting weight on… [family member] is happy and likes the food.”

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

The registered manager told us they had good working relationships with other professionals involved in people’s care. People told us they could see the GP when they needed to. A person told us they had seen the GP on the day of our visit. A relative told us, “We are told straight away if anything happens, the GP or someone from the surgery goes in every Tuesday. I was visiting 1 morning, and they had the nurse in to see [family member] as [they were] not well, they were really good.” Another relative told us how they were always kept updated when their family member had seen a health professional and the outcomes.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Where staff had concerns about people’s wellbeing, referrals were made to external professionals, such as the Speech and Language Therapy team (SALT). Outcomes and guidance from health professionals was documented to ensure people received consistent care which met their needs. A relative told us, “[Staff] keep an eye on [family member’s] health, make sure [they are] eating. [Family member] has build-up drinks as [family member] had lost some weight, nothing to do with the home, it is [family member’s] appetite. [Staff] keep monitoring.”

The registered manager told us people did morning armchair exercise if they chose to. A person using the service confirmed this and told us how they enjoyed it.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Systems were in place to monitor people’s care and health, including reviews of daily notes to ensure people were receiving their personal care needs, including oral care. People’s weights were kept under review, and referrals made when there were concerns of weight loss. People’s records showed when people required additional support to maintain a healthy weight. People’s fluid intake was monitored and documented to reduce the risks of dehydration.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

People’s capacity was assessed and how they provided consent to care documented. During our visit, we saw staff asked for people’s consent before providing any care and support, including with their meals.