CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 7 The Cedars
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were assessed in a person-centred way and that staffing levels were safe. Medicines, safeguarding, recruitment, premises and incident reporting were also managed safely.
- Effective?
- Outstanding
- The home achieved exceptional health and wellbeing outcomes through detailed health monitoring, reasonable adjustments and close work with health professionals. Staff received bespoke training and supported people to become more independent.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with dignity and respect, and staff understood their communication needs. Relatives described strong relationships between people and staff.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed, personalised and regularly updated. People were supported to follow their interests, use community facilities and take part in activities.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found strong leadership, an open and person-centred culture, and regular quality checks. The home worked well with relatives and external health and social care agencies.
What inspectors found, April 2020
Education and Services for People with Autism Limited - 7 The Cedars was rated Good overall, with Outstanding support for people's health and wellbeing.
Inspectors visited on 4 March 2020. One inspector spoke with a person, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines, staff recruitment, training, incidents and quality records.
People were found to be safe, treated with dignity and supported to make choices. The home had detailed care plans, safe staffing, clean and well-maintained premises, and strong safeguarding and medicines systems.
The strongest area was Effective, rated Outstanding. Inspectors found exceptional work to improve people's health, access to healthcare, independence and quality of life. The other four areas were rated Good.
The overall Good rating means inspectors found a service that met people's needs and was consistently managed well. The rating for Effective improved from Good at the previous inspection, while the other ratings stayed Good.
Health support
The home worked closely with health professionals and made adjustments so people could use healthcare services more comfortably. Inspectors found this led to better health and quality of life outcomes.
“People consistently experienced exceptional quality of life outcomes thanks to the service's focus on accessing healthcare services and healthier living initiatives.” from the report
Positive risk support
Staff used positive approaches to reduce anxiety and distress. Risk plans helped people do as much as possible for themselves.
“Staff were confident and experienced in reducing people's anxieties in a positive way, without the use of restraint or medicines.” from the report
Skilled staff
Staff received regular and bespoke training, including training about health monitoring and self-injurious behaviour. Inspectors found staff were well equipped to support people.
“Staff received a range of bespoke training that helped them identify health and wellbeing issues at the earliest stage.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included detailed information about people's backgrounds, interests, dislikes and triggers. Staff understood how each person communicated and what support they needed.
“Care plans were extremely detailed and person-centred.” from the report
Activities and independence
People were supported to take part in activities and visit local places. Staff also used technology and adaptations to help people become more independent.
“Staff ensured people got out and about and accessed the things they wanted, for instance cafes, pubs, shops, discos and day trips.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you assess and manage my relative's specific anxieties, risks and communication needs?
- 02What health screening, appointments and reasonable adjustments would be arranged for my relative?
- 03What bespoke training have staff completed that is relevant to my relative's needs?
- 04What activities and community visits could my relative take part in based on their interests?
- 05How would my relative be involved in decisions about their care and any changes to their room or the home?
This was a planned inspection of the care, premises and management of the home, covering all five CQC questions; the previous overall rating was Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 April 2020 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, July 2017
Education and Services for People with Autism Limited - 7 The Cedars was rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring and personalised support, with no breaches reported.
Inspectors visited on 13 and 19 April 2017 and contacted relatives on 21 April. They observed support, spoke with staff and managers, contacted local professionals, and checked care records, medicines records, recruitment files, training records and management records.
The home supported seven people with autism spectrum condition. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable risk assessments and appropriate safeguarding procedures. People appeared comfortable with staff, and relatives described the home as safe and caring.
Support was personalised. Staff understood people's communication methods, helped them make choices and offered activities in the home and community. The home also supported people's health, nutrition and independence.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The home had also been rated Good at the previous inspection, so the overall rating remained Good.
Comfortable with staff
People appeared comfortable in staff's presence, and relatives described the home as very safe.
“People actively sought out staff to spend time with and appeared comfortable in their presence.” from the report
Enough staff
Staffing was based on people's individual needs and supported people both at home and in the community.
“There were enough staff to support the seven people both in the house and out in the community at leisure events.” from the report
Understanding communication
Staff recognised non-verbal communication and used tools such as pictures and iPads to help people express their wishes.
“Staff were skilled at understanding and respected people's individual communication methods.” from the report
Personalised activities
People could choose from activities in the home, at a nearby day centre and in the wider community. The report describes improved community access for one person since the previous inspection.
“Each person had a range of social and vocational activities they could take part in if they chose.” from the report
Strong staff training
Staff received autism-specific training, health and safety training, supervision and annual appraisals.
“People received care from staff who had specific training in autism spectrum condition and were clear about how to meet each person's individual needs.” from the report
People were not involved in care planning
minorThe report says people were not involved in planning their care because of their limited communication and complex needs. Relatives were involved, and staff used people's communication methods to identify their wishes.
“People were not involved in planning their care service because of their limited communication and the complexity of their needs” from the report
- 01How are people involved in planning and reviewing their care when they cannot communicate verbally?
- 02How do you recognise that someone is unhappy, in pain or dissatisfied with their care?
- 03What staffing levels are in place now, including night staffing, and how are changes in people's needs managed?
- 04How do you support people to take part in community activities without becoming overwhelmed?
- 05How are medicines checked and audited, and how is staff competence in medicines support maintained?
This was an inspection covering all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led; relatives were contacted after the inspection visit. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 July 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 7 The Cedars
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: OutstandingCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2014GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 January 2011.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
46 live-in carers within about an hour of Sunderland
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £950 to £1,210 a week. 42 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.