CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Sycamores
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe, risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely and there were enough staff. However, records did not always clearly explain how hoist slings should be used, although action was taken during the inspection.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff were trained and supported, and people's needs and choices were assessed. People had choices about food and received support from healthcare services when needed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Inspectors saw people treated with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care, meals, activities and daily routines.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans recorded people's preferences and were reviewed. The home provided individual and group activities, responded to complaints and had personalised end of life care plans.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The manager was described as approachable and supportive. New audit and recording systems had been introduced, and feedback was used to make improvements.
What inspectors found, June 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care and clear improvement, but hoist sling guidance was not always clear.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 23 May 2022. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff, and checked care records, medicines records, recruitment files and records about how the home was managed.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe and well cared for. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, personalised care, meaningful activities and good links with healthcare services.
There was one shortfall in the safety records. They did not always clearly explain how staff should use hoist slings. The manager was told about this during the inspection and acted to correct the records.
The previous rating was Requires Improvement, published in June 2021. Inspectors found enough improvement had been made, including better audit and recording systems, and the home was no longer in breach of regulations.
Safe medicines
Inspectors found that medicines were managed safely and staff completed medicines records accurately.
“Medicines were safely managed. The provider had systems in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with kindness and respect. Inspectors also saw staff protecting people's privacy and dignity.
“We observed people being treated with kindness and respect.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's preferences and staff knew how people wanted to be supported. Activities were available both individually and in groups.
“Staff provided individualised care and were knowledgeable about how people wished to be supported.” from the report
Improved management systems
The home had introduced new audit and recording systems since the previous inspection. These helped identify issues and improve care and safety.
“The provider and registered manager had implemented new audit and recording systems since our last inspection, this helped them identify any issues and improve quality in the service” from the report
Hoist sling guidance
needs fixingSome safety records did not clearly explain how staff should use hoist slings. The manager was told on the inspection day and took action to correct the records.
“However, records seen did not always clearly indicate how staff should use hoist slings appropriately.” from the report
- 01What changes were made to the hoist sling records after the inspection?
- 02How do you check that staff understand and follow the correct hoist sling guidance?
- 03How often are safety records and other care records now audited?
- 04How do you make sure there are enough permanent staff, given that agency staff were sometimes used?
- 05How are people's choices about meals, activities and daily routines recorded and reviewed?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, including infection prevention and control measures under Safe. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 June 2022 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 2021
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind care and safe staffing, but weak records, infection control checks and oversight created risks.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 23 June 2021. Inspectors looked only at Safe and Well-led, partly because the inspection was prompted by concerns and included checks on infection prevention and control.
People said they felt safe and staff were described as kind and knowledgeable. There were enough staff, medicines were managed safely, safeguarding procedures were followed, and accidents and incidents were reviewed. However, some care records did not clearly reflect people's needs, and inspectors found hygiene and food storage problems.
The home was rated Requires Improvement overall, and also Requires Improvement for Safe and Well-led. The other three areas were not inspected at this visit, so their previous ratings were used in the overall rating. The rating was unchanged from the previous inspection.
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing had improved since the previous inspection and there were enough staff to support people safely.
“There were enough staff to care for people safely and the feedback from people and most staff living at the home was current staffing levels were sufficient.” from the report
Safeguarding knowledge
Staff had safeguarding training and understood how to recognise and report concerns. The report says there were no open safeguarding cases at the inspection.
“Staff had received safeguarding training and knew how to recognise and report any concerns about people's safety and welfare.” from the report
Kind and approachable staff
People told inspectors that staff and the management team were approachable. People also said staff asked how they wanted their care delivered.
“People we spoke with told us they found staff and the management team very approachable.” from the report
Weak quality checks
seriousThe home's audits did not reliably find or resolve problems with care records and infection control. Inspectors found this placed people at risk of harm, although there was no evidence that anyone had been harmed.
“This placed people at risk of harm. This was a breach of Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.” from the report
Infection control and food storage
needs fixingInspectors found food debris, marks and staining in the servery area, as well as uncovered and unlabelled food in a fridge. These problems had not been found by the home's daily checks.
“We found food debris on the walls and skirting boards of the servery area.” from the report
Unclear risk records
needs fixingSome care plans did not give staff clear information about risks. One repositioning record did not match the care being given, and another person's dietary preferences were not clearly recorded.
“However, some people's plans did not contain clear information to support staff to reduce identified risks safely.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to make sure care records always match people's current needs and the care staff provide?
- 02How do you check that repositioning schedules and dietary preferences are accurate and followed?
- 03What was done to clean the servery area and make sure food is covered, labelled and stored safely?
- 04What did your action plan say after the Regulation 17 breach, and what evidence can you show that the actions are complete?
- 05When was the last re-check of your quality and infection control audits, and what problems did it identify?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only, including infection prevention and control; the other ratings carried over from previous comprehensive inspections. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 July 2021 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 The Sycamores
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.
- June 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2021Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2020Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2018InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- February 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 12 February 2018.
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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