The Cyder Barn

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to governance at the service.

This service scored 62 (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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Our observations of interactions between people and staff were mostly positive. We observed 1 inappropriate interaction between a staff member and a person. We discussed this with the registered manager who provided assurances they would address this.

People were positive about living at the home. Comments included, “I couldn't be happier”, “It’s really good”, “Carers are very kind”, “Carers are very helpful” and ‘I love it here.” Staff spoke positively about working at the service and the people who live there. The registered manager told us the ethos of the home was, “To make it a friendly, family orientated home, which is their home and not institutionalised.”

One professional told us, “The ethos has always come across as being resident-centric, and looking after residents until the end of their life. I genuinely can't recall any significant events that have made me concerned about their culture or practice. The current management team are very open to dialogue.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Most staff felt supported, describing management as approachable and supportive, with comments such as “Very approachable, no problems with any management” and “Absolutely brilliant, very supportive.” One relative told us the registered manager was “Wonderful, she does all she can to help.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The service had a whistle blowing policy in place. Most staff felt able to raise concerns and were confident action would be taken. One staff member told us when they raised a concern this was addressed by the registered manager.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff reported that they were treated in a fair and equitable manner, with appropriate support and reasonable adjustments provided as necessary. Two staff members shared their positive experiences regarding this.

The provider did not have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They did not act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.There was a schedule of quality assurance systems in place to support the management team to review and assess the service delivery. However, the systems were not effective as they did not identify all the concerns we found during the assessment, or ensure issues identified were promptly addressed.

We found improvements were needed to care plans and risk assessments, training and supervision, people being supported in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the safety of the environment. Although the concerns in relation to the safety of the environment had been identified and were being raised regularly by the registered manager to the provider, no action was taken. During the inspection we spoke with the provider regarding our concerns, with assurances received that remedial works will be completed over the next few months. We will continue to liase with the fire service regarding this.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. Most feedback from professionals was positive. Comments included, “The manager at The Cyder Barn consistently values and considers our professional advice and concerns, enabling safe and informed decisions” and “They actively refer people about whom they have concerns to the team.” One visiting professional provided mixed feedback about communication stating they felt senior carers and management take on board their advice, but don’t feel it is always passed through the care team.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. The service is currently involved in a digital innovation project around falls prevention. The aim is for lights in peoples rooms to detect falls and then interventions can be carried out to help prevent any further falls. Professionals told us, “Just the fact that The Cyder Barn applied to be part of the falls prevention project has been a positive in the ways they strive for improvement, and they were very keen to support their residents with the lights, particularly those who fall more often that others or are at a known risk” and “They have been receptive to working on QI projects with the team around falls, hearing, hydration, and escalation plans.”