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Archived: Cherry Trees Care Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Cherrys Road, Cundy Cross, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 5QU (01226) 704000

Provided and run by:
Four Seasons (DFK) Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

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Background to this inspection

Updated 12 February 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.’

This inspection took place on 28 October 2014 and was unannounced.

Two adult social care inspectors and an expert by experience carried out the inspection. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience had experience in caring for older people.

Before our inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included correspondence we had received about the service and notifications submitted by the service.

We also contacted the commissioners of the service and seven external healthcare professionals who had knowledge of Cherry Trees. We received feedback from a GP, a dentist, a pharmacist, specialist nurses, Healthwatch Barnsley and social workers. This information was reviewed and used to assist with our inspection.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

During the visit, we spoke with nine people who used the service, the regional manager, the deputy manager, two professional visitors, three relatives and 12 members of staff, including care workers, a qualified nurse, activity workers and ancillary staff.

We spent time observing daily life in the home including the care and support being offered to people. We spent time looking at records, which included four people’s care records, four staff records and records relating to the management of the home.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 12 February 2015

Cherry Trees is registered to care for 89 people requiring personal and nursing care in the categories of dementia, old age and physical disability. On the day of our inspection there were 68 people living in the home.

There was a manager at the service who at the time of our inspection was in the process of registering with CQC. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

We last inspected Cherry Trees on 7 July 2014 and found at that time the service was not meeting the requirements of regulation 23, supporting workers. At this inspection we found staff received training, supervision and an annual appraisal.

Since our last inspection Barnsley Local Authority had placed a statutory embargo on admissions to the home. This was because they had received information of concern through safeguarding referrels. This meant new people could not be admitted to the home because the local authority had concerns about the quality of care provided. The local authority were continuing to monitor progress at the home and carrying out ‘spot checks’. The healthcare professionals we contacted prior to this inspection told us the new management team at the home were improving the service and they did not have any significant concerns.

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 28 October 2014. During the visit, we spoke with nine people living at the home, the regional manager, the deputy manager, two professional visitors, three relatives and 12 members of staff.

People told us they were well cared for in this home. People said, “I’m happy here and feel safe,” “I don’t know what I’d do without them, they’re all so kind and caring,” “They are nice lasses, nothing is too much trouble for them” and “I’m happy here and have no worries.”

Relatives told us, “The staff are marvellous, they put up with so much,” “Staff are lovely,” “I have finally got peace of mind that my relative is being looked after” and “My relative has always been well cared for at Cherry Trees. The staff are always welcoming, approachable and professional. My relatives well being is of utmost importance to me and I am confident they are happy and in a safe environment.”

We saw staff advising and supporting people in a way that maintained their privacy and dignity. People told us their views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was delivered.

Seven external professionals we contacted before the inspection, which included specialist nurses, a dentist, social workers and a pharmacist said the service had recently improved. One healthcare professional told us the managers were continuing to make improvements to the overall appearance of the home and were recruiting new staff. They said generally there was a lot of improvement within the home.

The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of practice and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This helped to protect the rights of people who were not able to make important decisions themselves.

The manager had recently employed two new activity workers who were in addition to the one already employed. This meant an extended and more varied activity programme would be available to people who used the service. We saw people participated in a range of daily activities many of which were meaningful and promoted their independence in and outside the service.

People were encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle which included being provided with nutritious meals and being supported to attend healthcare appointments.

Staff said the training provided them with the skills and knowledge they needed to do their jobs. Care staff understood their role and what was expected of them. They were happy in their work, motivated and confident in the way the service was managed.