Updated 2 April 2020
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
One inspector and an Expert by Experience completed this 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.
Service and service type
The Sycamores 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 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 reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch Tameside for any information they had about the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. Healthwatch did not have any concerns and the local authority comments were positive. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 19 people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, area manager, a manager supporting the service, four care staff and the cook. We reviewed some records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment. We looked at a variety of records related to management, including quality assurance audits and records of people’s views of the service. We observed staff interaction with the people they cared for. We toured the building and gardens.