Archived: Cypress Court

Updated 3 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

The inspection was carried out by an inspector, a specialist advisor 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. The specialist advisor was a nurse.

Service and service type

Cypress Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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 reviewed the latest Healthwatch report. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 12 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, a nurse, care workers, activity co-ordinator and the chef. We also spoke with a visiting professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and spoke with the regional manager regarding fire safety.

Updated 3 April 2020

About the service

Cypress Court is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 40 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 60 people, in one adapted building across two floors. The home is located in a residential area, close to shops and local amenities.

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

People felt safe living at Cypress Court. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs, however were set above assessed levels due to the level of occupancy. Risks were assessed, however we found that one person’s pressure relieving equipment was not set correctly placing them at increased risk of skin breakdown. Staff received training, and procedures were in place to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm. People’s medicines were administered safely by trained and competent staff. Checks were carried out to ensure that Cypress Court was a safe place for people to live.

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.

People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed to ensure the service could meet them. Staff supported people to maintain their health and well-being with access to a range of health and social care professionals. People had access to the equipment they needed to be supported effectively.

We observed a warm atmosphere within Cypress Court and caring, friendly relationships between staff and the people living there. People were treated kindly and with respect, their privacy was respected. People were able to have their say and said they were listened to.

People had opportunities to experience a range of activities and most people were satisfied with what took place. Staff knew people’s needs, likes and dislikes well. There was a procedure to deal with complaints and people knew who to speak with if they had concerns. Complaints received had been dealt with appropriately.

Since the last inspection the registered manager had reflected on their role and taken opportunities to learn and improve the quality of the service. They were aware of areas that required further improvement and the need for improvements to be sustained. People and staff told us the registered manager was approachable and that they were listened to. The effectiveness of audits to monitor the quality of the service had improved. A feeling of teamwork had developed between the management and staff adding to the improved positive culture within the home.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 31 August 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation.

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found that sufficient improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. Although improvements were noted, the service remains rated requires improvement. The service has been rated requires improvement for the last three consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.