An unannounced inspection visit took place on 1 May 2018. The Cedars provides accommodation, personal care and support for up to four people, with physical and / or learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection, four people lived at the home. Each person had their own bedroom and there was a shared lounge, bathrooms and a dining room area that people used. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of our visit. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.
At our last comprehensive inspection in December 2015, we rated the service as Good overall. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
The registered manager and staff assessed risks to people’s health and welfare and care plans provided accurate information for staff to minimise the identified risks. Staff and people had lived and worked at the home for a number of years and were familiar around each other’s company which helped people be relaxed with staff. We were confident staff knew people well and they continued to support and encourage people’s independence.
Staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse. There continued to be enough staff to meet people’s health needs and there continued to be flexibility in staffing levels, to make sure people received a safe, effective and responsive service.
People’s medicines were managed, stored and administered safely by trained and competent staff.
People continued to be cared for and supported by kind and compassionate staff. Staff understood people’s needs and abilities and they had the skills, training and experiences to do this effectively.
People were supported to have continued choice where possible, given their lack of capacity to make decisions. Staff offered people visual choice to stimulate and encourage people to make decisions. Staff respected people’s lack of capacity to make verbal decisions and always supported xxx (remove gap) them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff worked with each person to understand and improve their individual communication abilities.
Staff ensured people received support from other health professionals to maintain their physical and mental health and people were involved in how their care was delivered. Relatives were involved in care decisions with their family members and staff encouraged links with families.
Each person had a care and support plan with detailed information and guidance personal to them. Care plans included information on maintaining the person's health, their daily routines and preferences.
Staff told us they felt supported by the management team and by each other. The quality monitoring system demonstrated their systems continued to be effective and support good outcomes for people in their care. The provider, registered manager and staff’s focus was always to drive improvements within the service
Further information is in the detailed findings below.