The Cedars

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 82 (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.

The provider had clear strategy, vision and values that underpinned the service they provided. This was shared with staff and was consistently assessed through the monitoring of quality and safety. The provider’s shared vision and culture was based on their core principles: respect, integrity, passion, empowerment and responsibility.

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. A member of staff told us, “[The registered manager] has the appropriate knowledge and experience, they are very quick and on it straight away. If you want something dealt with, then they will deal with it quickly.” Staff were also positive about the support they received. A staff member told us, “If somethings not right, [the registered manager] will know by just looking at you. They check staff are ok and they listen to them.”

Audits and spot checks were completed regularly to assess the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager was responsive to inspector’s feedback, and actions were taken quickly to address any concerns found during this assessment.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. A staff member told us, “I have a right to speak up and as long as it’s in the best interests of the residents, I just need to speak up. Even for my own wellbeing. If I’m not comfortable, I will speak up.”

Information about speaking up was available to staff. The service had a speak up champion who told us they promoted a culture where staff felt safe and were encouraged to raise concerns and made sure issues were heard and addressed. A staff member told us managers encouraged staff to speak up and actions were always taken when they did.

The provider had policies and procedures that supported an open culture where staff were encouraged to raise concerns.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The service valued and respected their staff teams and demonstrated a commitment to an inclusive culture for all staff. Staff told us they had no concerns with how they or other staff were treated and stated their human rights as an employee were upheld. Staff explained that a work-life balance was respected with rotas being created fairly, taking into consideration their own commitments. A staff member told us, “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else now.”

The provider’s policy and procedures promoted workforce equality and inclusion, opposing all forms of discrimination and victimisation.

The registered manager told us reasonable adjustments and assistive technology was in place for staff who required support to carry out their roles. For example, assistive technology was used to support staff with dyslexia. A staff member told us the registered manager was very supportive with health issues and stated, “I am absolutely treated fairly and equitably.”

A multi-faith space area had been created in the home allowing for adaptation to various religious or spiritual practices that could be accessed by people, staff and relatives.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. However, not all audits were effective as concerns we found in medicines or missing information in some people’s care plans had not been identified. The provider had systems and processes in place that assessed and monitored quality and safety. The registered manager was receptive to feedback around the shortfalls we found relating to guidance in care plans and the management of some medicines and took immediate actions to improve those areas.

Communication systems were in place to ensure staff shared important information about people’s care and support needs. Heads of departments had daily meetings to discuss and pass on relevant information, so people received consistent support. Health professionals told us the service enabled weekly visits and multi-disciplinary meetings when necessary to discuss people’s needs and ensure people received joined up care.

Staff told us they felt the service was well managed and organised. A staff member said, “[The service] is definitely well run, there’s nothing bad about it. The managers are kind, open and organise the team well. They get things sorted.”

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership with other professionals and the community. The staff team worked seamlessly for people to promote positive outcomes.

There had been an extensive amount of work to make the home the centre of their community.

The service opened their doors to the community throughout the week offering coffee mornings and other social events to reduce isolation and increase opportunities for people to socialise. Other events included a retired nurses club and refreshments offered to emergency and community workers which created stronger professional relationships whilst showing appreciation and respect.

The service had links with local organisations and hosted a dementia support group in the evening due to feedback that some people were unable to make daytime meetings. This meant more people living with dementia and their relatives had the opportunity to access that support.

The service linked with local schools; some people living at the home had recently presented pupils with awards for a writing competition. Other initiatives included people in weekly knitting and sewing groups making blankets for worldwide campaigns which we were told gave people purpose and pride after their work was acknowledged by their local MP.

The service hosted professional networking events to bring together different services to share ideas and learn from each others experiences. This included bereavement teams, local befriending services and people that could help with potential financial queries people might have had.

Feedback from professionals was exceptionally positive with a mutual consensus that they would not hesitate to recommend the service. Health professionals told us staff were responsive to people’s changing health needs and communication was effective and prompt in ensuring actions were taken quickly to review people when needed. A professional told us, “The nursing and residential care leaders, who I mostly deal with are competent and advocate so well for people’s needs. We work well together to support the health and wellbeing of people at The Cedars.”

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice.

The provider made people the centre of developing the service and evaluating improvements. Staff continuously reflected and learnt from people’s feedback to make improvements to the quality of people's experience and identified ways of meeting their preferences and needs. For example, they created a mobile shop so people who may not be able to get out and about regularly could buy essentials like birthday cards, stamps and toiletries. Other improvements directed by people who used the service included a weekly pop-up bar so they could have an alcoholic beverage of their choice whilst combining it with other weekly entertainment like bingo or a quiz.

The provider had introduced a virtual reality system which gave people a chance to escape their physical surroundings and visit places that may have not otherwise been possible. The use of technology had been so successful, staff had added weekly technology sessions to their life enrichment program which gave people the opportunity to use technology regularly to support wellbeing and social interaction.

An activities coordinator told us the registered manager had gone above and beyond in sourcing a qualification for them that had a specific activities pathway. They told us it had enabled them to understand how important meaningful activities were to build a sense of community while enriching people’s lives.