The Cedars

Updated 20 July 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection visit was carried out by one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

The Cedar’s is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time observing care and support in the communal areas. We observed how staff interacted with people who used the service. During our inspection we spoke with six people who used the service, three relatives, four members of care staff, two registered nurses and the deputy manager. We also spoke with the activity’s coordinator, and the registered manager. We did this to gain people's views about the care and to check that standards of care were being met. Both the operations manager and operations director were available for feedback.

We looked at care records for seven people. We checked the care they received matched the information in their records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including audits carried out within the home and staff recruitment.

Updated 20 July 2019

About the service

The Cedar’s is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to 42 older adults. There is a unit to care for people who are living with dementia. The service can support up to 51 people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Some of the audits in place were not always effective in identifying areas of improvement. Where areas of improvement had been identified this had not always been completed. Feedback was sought from people and relatives who used the service, this was used to make changes. There was a registered manager in place who understood their responsibility around registration with us. Staff felt supported and listened to.

The care people received was safe. Individual risks to people were considered and regularly updated. There were safeguarding procedures in place and these were followed. Medicines were managed in a safe way. There were enough staff available for people and they did not have to wait for support. Infection control procedures were implemented. Lessons were learnt when things went wrong in the home.

The care that people received was effective. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Staff received training and an induction that helped them support people. People had access to health professionals when needed. People enjoyed the food available and were offered a choice. The environment was adapted to meet people’s needs.

People were supported in a kind and caring way by staff they were happy with. People were encouraged to remain independent, offered choices and their privacy and dignity was maintained.

People received care that was responsive to their needs. Staff knew people well and they received care based on their assessed needs. Peoples preferences were taken in to account. People had the opportunity to participate in activities they enjoyed. There was a complaints procedure in place and complaints were responded to in line with this.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good. (7 September 2016)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.