The Cedars and Larches Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. This is the first assessment for this service registered under a new provider. This key question has been rated Good: This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

People felt safe receiving support. Staff knew how to keep people safe from harm and abuse, incidents were reported. Records were completed, up to date and accurate. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Systems were in place to recruit staff safely. Required pre-employment checks had been completed for staff before they started work. Staff had received relevant training in relation to their roles. People’s medicines were managed safely and properly.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Safety was regarded as a priority by the registered manager. The provider’s health and safety records and certificates evidenced that regular checks were carried out by staff, managers, maintenance workers, and specialist external contractors. The management team demonstrated a commitment to learning from safety incidents and sharing that learning across their care team. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice, identify improvements and prevent future incidents. For example, the manager had reviewed the falls which had occurred within a short time period to see if there were any similar factors between the falls which might indicate where changes were needed to reduce people’s risk from falls.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. There were systems and processes in place to ensure they received the necessary care assessment information before a person moved into the care home. People had individual care plans and risk assessments in place. The care home had positive and effective links with external community healthcare services. The views of people, and their relatives if appropriate, were included as part of the referral and risk assessment process. This involvement was then continued through the care plan review process. This was evidenced in the provider’s care records.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. The provider had effective safeguarding systems and processes in place to ensure people were protected from abuse and neglect. All the people we spoke with told us they felt safe at the service. This was further evidenced by the provider’s policies and procedures and care records. The registered manager had a clear understanding of safeguarding, who needed to be notified about any concerns, and how to take the necessary action to keep people safe. This included evidence of collaborative working with Local Authority Safeguarding Adult’s teams. Staff members had been trained in identifying abuse and ill treatment and knew what to do if they suspected wrongdoing.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. People’s care plans and risk assessments evidenced that they were, as far as possible, involved in deciding how they wanted to be supported to manage their individual risks. For example, the care plan of a person who used assistive technology to enable them to make everyday choices, evidenced they had been involved in discussions about how they would be supported. Care staff were observed to support people, in a positive and dignified way, and their care records captured personalised information on how best to support the person.

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The service was undergoing refurbishment which was being gradually implemented without negatively impacting on people who lived there. The provider’s maintenance team carried out regular safety and checks to maintain the upkeep of the premises.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe, good quality care that met people’s individual needs. The service had a relatively stable staff team with a low staff turnover. Staff had received training, which was appropriate and relevant to their role, including regular supervision and competency checks.

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. The provider had effective cleaning policies and procedures in place and had a dedicated domestic cleaning team. The registered manager had recently signed up to be part of an infection prevention and control (IPC) workforce development project in association with a local hospital IPC outreach team. This demonstrated the provider’s commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

The service made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. They ensured key updates were made to medicine and care records; including when changes happened. Medicines were given as prescribed by a trained and competent staff team.