CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 8-8a The Cedars
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found risk assessments, emergency evacuation plans, recruitment checks, safe medicines systems and clean premises. They also noted three staff vacancies and that one relative had experienced occasional lower staffing levels.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had training in autism and other relevant areas. People received support with healthcare, nutrition, exercise and legally authorised decisions about their care.
- Caring?
- Good
- Inspectors saw staff treating people with kindness, respect and compassion. Staff understood people's needs and supported choice, privacy, dignity and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans included people's histories, preferences, communication methods and goals. Staff used visual resources and routines to reduce anxiety, supported activities and maintained family relationships.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had a registered manager, an acting manager for one building and robust quality monitoring. Managers were developing improvements to positive behavioural support and medicines systems.
What inspectors found, October 2018
Education and Services for People with Autism Limited - 8-8a The Cedars was rated Good; inspectors found kind, person-centred care, with some staffing and complaint-recording points to check.
This was an announced comprehensive inspection on 24 August 2018, followed by telephone calls to relatives on 6 September 2018. The inspector spoke with people, relatives, staff and managers, and reviewed care files, medicines records, training, safety checks and quality audits.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found suitable staffing on the day, safe medicines arrangements, trained staff, clean premises and care that reflected people's communication needs, choices and independence.
People were seen being treated with kindness and respect. Staff understood people's needs, supported healthcare appointments and activities, and worked with relatives and other professionals. The home had strong quality checks and a positive culture.
The report also noted three staff vacancies and occasional lower staffing levels during sickness and holidays. The manager wanted staff to improve how concerns, including changes in people's behaviour, were recognised and recorded.
Kind and respectful care
Staff were observed supporting people calmly and compassionately. They understood individual needs and helped people feel at ease.
“From our observations we saw that staff treat people with kindness, respect and compassion.” from the report
Individual support
Care planning reflected people's choices, communication methods, routines and personal goals. Staff used visual tools and tailored approaches to reduce anxiety.
“The two care files we reviewed contained information relating to life histories, specific care and support plans which informed staff of people's needs, choices, preferences, communication methods and decision making.” from the report
Safe medicines and premises
Medicines were securely stored and recorded, with trained staff. Inspectors also found the premises clean and safety checks up to date.
“Medicines were safely managed in line with the National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines.” from the report
Staff vacancies and occasional short staffing
needs fixingThe home had three staff vacancies. One relative had experienced occasional lower staffing levels because of sickness and holidays, so ask how cover is maintained.
“One relative told us that they had experienced the odd occasion where staff numbers had been lower than usual as a result of sickness and holidays.” from the report
Recording concerns
needs fixingThe manager identified that staff needed to recognise and record concerns, including signs shown through changes in people's behaviour. Ask how this has been improved.
“They wanted to revisit concerns and ensure that when people raised concerns that these were recorded.” from the report
- 01How have the three staff vacancies mentioned in the report been dealt with?
- 02How do you make sure staffing levels remain safe when staff are off sick or on holiday?
- 03How do you recognise when a person is unhappy or raising a concern through changes in their behaviour?
- 04How are concerns and complaints now recorded and followed up?
- 05How will you support my relative's communication needs, routines, activities and personal goals?
This was a comprehensive inspection of all five key questions, with follow-up telephone calls to relatives on 6 September 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 October 2018 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 8-8a The Cedars
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 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.
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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.