Archived: Cedar Court Nursing Home

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations, including a SOFI during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, their relatives; the staff supporting them and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

We undertook a tour of the building and looked at communal areas, bathing areas and with permission some of the bedrooms. We also looked at the garden area. Without exception the home and its facilities were very well maintained and clean. The bedrooms were homely and comfortable and had been personalised by the person living in the home or their families.

We saw that risks to people's health and wellbeing had been identified for areas such as falls and nutrition and risk assessments were in place to manage these so the people who lived at the home were safeguarded from unnecessary hazards.

The home manager was aware of the relevant process to follow if there were any safeguarding concerns.

There were appropriate procedures in place should anyone need to be subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DoLS) application or plan. DoLS is part of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and aims to ensure people in care homes and hospitals are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom unless it is in their best interests.

Is the service effective?

We observed that staff interacted well with residents. They took time to ensure that they were fully engaged with the individual and checked that they had understood. Before carrying out interventions with the people using the service they explained what they needed or intended to do and asked if that was alright rather than assume consent. They also spoke to people informally and acknowledged them with a smile as they passed through the home and went about their daily tasks.

Is the service caring?

We received positive comments about the home and staff members from the people living in the home and the three visitors we spoke with. Comments included; 'all very good, don't know what we would do without them', 'staff are very caring and respectful', 'staff are very good' and 'It is super, X is very happy here and he has been made to feel at home'.

A thank you card from a relative of someone who had lived at the home was received via the post on the day of our visit. This was very positive and included the following comment; 'thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the loving care you have given to X and ourselves over the past few weeks. You are all an inspiration'. This card also included a sizeable donation towards what the sender described as one of the activities co-ordinators 'jolly fun packed events'. We saw a number of other cards and letters that had been received recently; these also included positive comments about the home and the service it was providing to their family members, comments included; 'your staff are superb, all of them' and 'where do I begin to thank you all for the care, love and kindness'.

The relationships we saw were warm, respectful, dignified and with plenty of smiles and laughter. The staff members we spoke with could show that they had a good understanding of the people they were supporting and they were able to meet their various needs.

Is the service responsive?

The care plans had been written in a person centred manner. This meant that the individualised care plans focused on the person's individual assessed needs and on how they could be met. The care plans focused on providing support to an individual in different aspects of their daily life, for example how the person was to be supported with promoting their independence and any issues regarding their health so that they were kept as healthy as possible.

Is the service well-led?

Information about the safety and quality of service provided was gathered on a continuous and on-going basis via feedback from the people who used the service and their representatives, including their relatives and friends, where appropriate. The home manager 'walked the floor' regularly in order to check that the home was running smoothly and that people were being cared for properly.

The staff members we spoke to were very positive about the home. Comments included; 'I enjoy my job' and 'I love my job'.

Cedar Court had a company quality assurance system available to assess the quality of the service it was providing. The most recent survey had been completed in the Spring of 2014 and covered areas such as personal care and support, daily living, catering and food, the management of the home and the premises. The comments were generally very positive with the majority of the answers falling in to the excellent, very good and good categories. This will be an on-going process.