CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Cherry Tree House Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable risk management, safe medicines practice and effective infection control arrangements.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this visit. The report does say people described staff as kind and compassionate.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this visit. The report says people and relatives could give feedback through meetings and surveys.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home was described as consistently managed and well-led. Inspectors found audits, incident reviews, staff support and arrangements for listening to people.
What inspectors found, November 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe care, kind staff and effective management, but this was a focused inspection rather than a full review.
Inspectors visited without warning on 18 October 2023. They spoke with seven people and three care staff, reviewed four care records, medicines records, recruitment files and other documents.
The inspection looked only at Safe and Well-led. Both were rated Good. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practice, suitable risk assessments and a clean, well-maintained home.
People said they felt safe and happy. Staff were described as kind and caring. The home had systems for checking quality, responding to incidents and listening to people and staff.
The overall rating stayed Good. The ratings for the other three questions were carried forward from the previous inspection, rather than being assessed during this visit.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe. Staff understood individual risks and took steps to reduce harm, including falls, swallowing and skin damage risks.
“People told us staff kept them safe.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to provide care without people having to wait. Staff appeared unrushed and responded promptly to call bells.
“People were cared for by a sufficient number of staff.” from the report
Medicines were well managed
Medicines records showed no gaps, and instructions were in place for medicines given only when needed.
“We found no gaps in people's MARs indicating that people had received their medicines in line with the prescription instructions.” from the report
Kind and open culture
People said they were happy and could speak to staff or the manager. Staff described good teamwork and felt supported.
“There was a positive culture within the service and people we spoke with told us how happy they were living there.” from the report
Checks and audits
The home checked care plans, medicines, infection control, the building, dining and call bell response times. Managers followed up identified shortfalls.
“There were robust governance arrangements in place.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01The report says this was focused on Safe and Well-led. When were Effective, Caring and Responsive last fully reviewed?
- 02What activities are currently available, and how do you find out whether residents enjoy and benefit from them?
- 03How are care plans and risk assessments updated when a resident's needs change?
- 04How do you check that medicines given only when needed are given appropriately and recorded correctly?
- 05How are residents and relatives told about feedback from meetings and surveys, including what has changed as a result?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led; the other ratings were carried forward from the last inspection and were not inspected on this visit. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 November 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, September 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with some records and activities needing attention.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 10 August 2017. They spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff, the manager, the provider and a visiting professional. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were described as safe and well cared for. Staff were trained, kind and respectful. Care plans were personalised, people were involved in decisions, and there were systems for managing risks, medicines, complaints and quality.
Inspectors found some areas to improve. Staff could sometimes seem rushed, activities had been affected by the lack of an activities coordinator, and some care plan information was out of date or incomplete. The manager acted during the inspection to update the care records, and a new activities coordinator had recently started.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse, and risks such as falls, poor nutrition and pressure sores were assessed and managed.
“People and their relatives told us people were safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw warm relationships and a relaxed atmosphere. Staff offered choices, respected privacy and supported people to remain independent.
“We saw staff were kind, respectful, very attentive and caring toward people.” from the report
Personalised care records
Care plans included people's histories, preferences, routines and health needs. Staff used them to guide daily care and reviewed them regularly.
“They were very detailed and personalised.” from the report
Supportive leadership
The home had an open culture, regular meetings and quality checks. People, relatives and staff said managers were approachable and listened to concerns.
“The leadership and management that we saw on the day of the inspection demonstrated an open approach and supportive culture that encouraged good care and team spirit.” from the report
Staff could be rushed
needs fixingSome people and relatives said staff sometimes appeared busy or had little time to talk. Inspectors found staffing adequate on the day, but the home was considering employing another senior care worker.
“Some people and relatives felt staff were at times rushed.” from the report
Out-of-date care plan information
needs fixingSome information at the front of care plans no longer reflected people's abilities and needs. The manager changed the layout during the inspection and updated missing information about one person's behaviour.
“This information, although correct at the time of completion, was now outdated and could mislead the care staff as to what the person's abilities and needs were.” from the report
Activities had been reduced
minorThere had been no activities coordinator for about four or five months. People and relatives said this affected opportunities to take part in interests, although a new coordinator had just started.
“We were told there had not been an activities coordinator for approximately four or five months.” from the report
Returned medicines paperwork
needs fixingTwo envelopes of returned medicine were sealed and signed but did not initially include the person's name or the date the medicine was not given. Staff completed these details during the inspection.
“However, on the day of our inspection we found two envelopes of returned medicine although were sealed and had been signed by the staff, they had not been completed with the name of the person and the date the medicine was not given.” from the report
- 01How do you make sure there are enough staff when people need more support or staff are busy?
- 02How do you check that the information at the front of each care plan reflects the person's current abilities and needs?
- 03What activities are available now, and how are people involved in choosing them?
- 04What checks are now made on returned medicines, including the person's name and the date a medicine was not given?
- 05How often are care plans reviewed with the person and their relatives?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service and covered all five rated areas, based on records, observations and discussions with people, relatives, staff and professionals. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 September 2017 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Cherry Tree House Residential Home
2 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Cherry Tree House Residential Home →
- September 2017GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Cherry Tree House Residential Home →
- November 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 November 2016.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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