CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Sycamore House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, November 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with minor medicines recording issues.
The inspection took place on 16 October 2019 and was a planned inspection. One inspector spoke with people living at the home, a relative and staff. Records about care, medicines, recruitment and management were also checked.
The home supported four people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated with kindness and supported by staff who knew their needs and preferences.
Care plans were detailed and person-centred. People were supported with health care, food, communication, activities, choice and independence. The home was clean and staff recruitment, training and supervision were suitable.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The home had also been rated Good at the previous inspection, published on 19 April 2017.
Staff knew people well
People were supported by enough staff who understood their individual needs and risks.
“People were supported by a sufficient number of staff who knew them and their support needs.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's preferences and guidance for staff. Inspectors saw staff following this guidance.
“People's care plans were person centred and contained detail about how they should be supported, and we witnessed staff following this guidance.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were involved in everyday decisions and care reviews. The home supported people to take positive risks and develop their skills.
“People were supported to make day to day decisions and given meaningful opportunity to participate in care decisions.” from the report
Activities and community life
People took part in activities they chose, including outings, shopping, meals out and swimming.
“People were provided with opportunities to participate in a range of activities of their choice both within the home and on regular outings to the local community.” from the report
Supportive leadership
Staff said management was available and supportive. Inspectors found a warm, friendly and open atmosphere.
“The atmosphere in the service was warm, friendly and welcoming.” from the report
Medicines records and labels
minorInspectors found gaps in recording the temperature where medicines were stored. Some homely medicines were not clearly labelled. The report says these issues did not pose a significant risk, and the provider said they would be addressed immediately.
“However, we found some gaps in the recording of the temperature where medicines were kept. Homely medicines were not always clearly labelled.” from the report
Quality checks missed the issue
minorThe home's audits did not identify the medicines recording problem. The manager committed to improving this immediately.
“Whilst these were regularly undertaken they had not always identified areas for improvement such as, medicines room temperatures not being consistently recorded.” from the report
- 01How are medicines storage temperatures recorded now, and who checks that records are complete?
- 02How do you make sure homely medicines are clearly labelled and safely managed?
- 03What action was taken after the medicines recording issues found at the inspection?
- 04How are people involved in reviewing their care plans and setting personal goals?
- 05What activities and community outings are currently available for each person?
This was a planned inspection of the care home covering all five CQC areas and both the premises and care provided; all five ratings were assessed as Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 November 2019 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, April 2017
Sycamore House was rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring and personalised support with no breaches reported.
This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 16 February 2017. It was the home’s first inspection since registration in June 2016. Inspectors reviewed care and medicines records, recruitment and training files, and management records. They spoke with a relative, staff, the registered manager and healthcare professionals.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely and there were enough trained staff. People were supported with food, healthcare, activities and daily choices.
Inspectors found that staff treated people with dignity and involved them and their relatives in care planning. The home had an open management style, systems to check quality and a culture focused on independence and choice.
Safe support
Risks were assessed in detail, including transport, mobility and cooking. The plans aimed to keep people safe without unnecessarily restricting their freedom.
“The assessments took into account the likelihood of the risk occurring and the likely severity of harm which then identified the least restrictive measures to keep the person and others safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors found that staff were patient, considerate and respectful. People’s privacy and dignity were maintained, including during personal care.
“Staff were patient and considerate and took time to reassure people and explain things so they knew what was happening.” from the report
Personalised choices
Care plans reflected people’s preferences, routines and support needs. People were encouraged to choose how they spent their time and to be involved in their care.
“The care plans reflected what support people needed to keep safe and how to meet their needs.” from the report
Good leadership
The management team was accessible and promoted an open, inclusive culture. Systems were in place to monitor care, medicines, infection control and the environment.
“The provider had quality assurance systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provision.” from the report
Feedback surveys had not started
minorFormal surveys for relatives and healthcare professionals were planned but had not yet taken place because the home was newly registered. Families may wish to ask what feedback has since been gathered.
“formal surveys were planned for relatives and healthcare professionals, although due to the service being newly registered, this had not yet happened.” from the report
- 01How would you assess and manage the specific risks linked to my relative’s mobility, transport, cooking or other activities?
- 02What staffing level and one-to-one support would my relative receive at different times of day?
- 03How would you involve my relative and our family in care planning and decisions about their care?
- 04What activities and daily routines could my relative choose, and how would you support their independence?
- 05What feedback have relatives and healthcare professionals provided since the planned surveys were introduced?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five questions and was the home’s first inspection since it was registered in June 2016. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 April 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 Sycamore House
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 July 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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97 live-in carers within about an hour of Rotherham
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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 80 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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