The Cedars

Updated 5 July 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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 was a comprehensive and routine inspection which took place on 23 and 25 May 2018 at The Cedars. This inspection was carried out by one inspector. At the time of the inspection there were six people living at The Cedars.

We requested and reviewed a Provider Information Return (PIR) for The Cedars prior to this inspection. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the information we held about the service which included notifications about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We spoke with one person and briefly spoke with two people who were using the service. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with three support workers; the deputy manager and the registered manager. We reviewed four people's care records and associated files. We also reviewed staff training and recruitment records and records relating to the general management of the service.

Updated 5 July 2018

We inspected The Cedars on 23 and 25 May 2018. The Cedars provides accommodation and personal care to nine people who had a learning disability or were on the autistic spectrum. At the time of our inspection six people were living at The Cedars.

The Cedars is located near the centre of Gloucester, close to a range of amenities, parks and the local hospital. The home has a large enclosed communal garden and an outdoor building known as the “lodge”. There were plans in place to refurbish and create an annexe at the back of the home to cater for people who required their own personal space. People were assisted by support workers who assisted them with their day to day needs, one to one time and a range of activities.

We last inspected the home on 12 and 13 October 2016 and rated the service as “Requires Improvement”. We identified that further improvements were still required in relation to people’s care and risk assessments and the service’s quality assurance systems needed to be embedded further and show sustainability. During our May 2018 inspection we found these improvements had been sustained and we rated the service as “good”.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The care service reflected the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

People were happy, safe and benefitted from an active and full life. People's ability to be as independent as possible was developed at The Cedars. Where possible, people were supported to take positive risks and to be in control of their care. There were enough social support workers deployed to ensure people had their one to one needs met and enable them to undertake the activities they wished.

People where possible were involved in reviewing their care needs, to ensure they were tailored to their individual life. People were at the centre of their care. Support workers knew people well and knew how to support them with their needs and goals. The registered manager and staff looked for opportunities to offer to people that would help them grow, gain confidence and live a fulfilled life.

Support workers were well supported and had the benefit of a training programme which enabled them to ensure they could provide people with the best possible care and support. Support workers understood and worked to the values of the registered manager to put people at the heart of everything they did. All support workers felt the registered manager focused on their personal development and needs, which enabled them to provide better quality support to people.

The service had a strong leadership presence. They were committed and passionate about the people they supported and were constantly looking for ways to improve. Thorough and frequent quality assurance processes and audits ensured that all care and support was delivered in the safest and most effective way possible.