Cherry Trees

Updated 18 August 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 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

Cherry Trees is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Cherry Trees is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 4 relatives to gain their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, both deputy manager’s and care workers. In addition, a healthcare professional gave us feedback on their experience of the service. We reviewed a range of records, including 6 people's care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Updated 18 August 2023

About the service

Cherry Trees is a care home providing personal care for up to 66 older people some of whom were living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 60 people living in the home. Cherry Trees is a purpose-built care home consisting of 4 separate units, each of which has separate adapted facilities.

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

People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. Staff knew what actions to take if they suspected abuse. The management team took appropriate actions to keep people safe. Risks associated with people's care were identified and managed safely. Accidents and incidents were analysed and trends and patterns were identified. Actions were taken to mitigate future risks.

People received their medicines as prescribed and by staff who were trained and competent to administer medicines safely.

The home was clean and well maintained. Scheduled maintenance of the building and equipment took place in line with current guidance. The provider had a safe recruitment process in place which ensured suitable staff were employed. There were enough staff available to respond to people in a timely way.

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 supported this practice.

Person centred care was promoted throughout the home. We observed staff interacting with people in a caring and supportive way.

We saw evidence the provider had involved professionals in people's care and had promptly sought assistance from relevant professionals when required. People, relatives, and staff were supported to feedback about the home and had several opportunities and forums to facilitate this.

The management team completed a series of audits to ensure standards were maintained. Actions identified were promptly resolved.

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 (published 8 November 2019).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to leadership, the management of medicines, meeting people’s needs and risks associated with people’s care. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained good, based on the findings of this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for ‘Cherry Trees’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.