Cherry Tree Care Home

Updated 3 March 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

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Cherry Tree Care Home 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 Tree Care Home 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.

Inspection activity started on 31 January 2023 and ended on 6 February 2023. We visited the service on 31 January and 3 February 2023.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we had about the service, including previous reports and notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We contacted the local authority to gain their views about 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 nine people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and six relatives. We spoke with eight staff including, a director of the service, the registered manager, the deputy manager and care staff. We observed care being provided. We reviewed a range of records, including six people's care records in detail, and eight people's medicines records. Two staff files were reviewed in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, training, staff rota's, policies and procedures were also reviewed. We received feedback from six health and social care professionals.

Updated 3 March 2023

About the service

Cherry Trees Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 25 people in one adapted building. At the time of this inspection there were 23 people living at the home.

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

Although people told us they felt safe, we identified some areas of improvement were required. We could not be assured people received their medicines as prescribed or that risks to people were managed and mitigated effectively. Care records including care plans and risk assessments did not provide clear and consistent information in relation to people's needs and abilities. This placed people at risk of receiving inappropriate and ineffective care and treatment which could result in harm.

The provider's quality assurance systems had not always been used effectively to identify areas for improvement.

Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place and there were enough staff to support people's needs. Staff had received training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. There were appropriate policies and systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse.

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.

Environmental risks had been considered and acted on where required. There were up to date policies and processes for the management of infection, prevention and control and the provider, management and staff adhered to the latest government guidance.

People were happy living at Cherry Tree Care Home and people and relatives were complimentary about all aspects of the service, describing the management team and staff as kind, caring and responsive. Staff knew the people they supported well and had a good understanding of their needs.

CQC were notified of all significant events that occurred in the service and the previous performance rating was prominently displayed on the premises as per requirements.

The service worked in collaboration with all relevant agencies, including health and social care professionals. This helped to ensure there was joined-up care provision.

Throughout the inspection the management team showed a commitment to wanting to provide people with person centred, safe and effective care. They were open, transparent and responsive throughout the inspection.

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 22 May 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by recent safeguarding concerns and the length of time since the service was inspected.

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.

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 changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements.

Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Cherry Tree Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.