CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Tree Tops Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing infections and using protective equipment safely. They also found suitable arrangements for testing, social distancing, hygiene and managing outbreaks.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, December 2020
Tree Tops Residential Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection control measures were safe during the pandemic.
The inspection took place on 16 and 18 November 2020. It was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors were assured that the home was managing visitors, social distancing, protective equipment, testing, hygiene and possible outbreaks safely. They also found that the infection control policy was up to date.
Staff helped people keep in touch with family and friends through emails and telephone calls. Relatives gave very positive feedback about the caring support and updates they received.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the inspection did not give a standard overall rating or ratings for the five care questions.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had safe arrangements for preventing and managing infections, including an up-to-date policy.
“We were assured that the provider's infection prevention and control policy was up to date.” from the report
Protective equipment
There was a good supply of protective equipment. Staff were trained and checked on how to use it safely.
“Staff completed in house training and underwent regular checks on their competency around the safe use of PPE.” from the report
Family contact
Staff supported people to stay in regular contact with relatives through emails and telephone calls during the pandemic.
“Staff reassured people throughout the pandemic and provided them with the support they needed to maintain regular contact with family and friends.” from the report
Safe visiting
Visits were limited to essential visitors and inspectors found that they were carried out safely.
“Visits were restricted to essential visitors only and they were carried out safely.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How have your infection prevention and control arrangements changed since the inspection in November 2020?
- 02How do you currently support residents to keep in touch with their families?
- 03How do you train and check staff on the safe use of protective equipment?
- 04How often are residents and staff tested for infections now?
- 05What procedures would you follow if a new resident needed to be admitted during an outbreak?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures only; the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 December 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 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some further dementia-friendly improvements still being made.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 11 June 2018 and an announced visit on 13 June 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files, training records and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely, staff were trained, and people received suitable food and support from health professionals.
People were treated with dignity and respect. Care plans were personalised and activities were provided. The home had a registered manager and regular checks were used to monitor quality and safety.
The overall Good rating was unchanged from the previous inspection. Inspectors found no serious risks or concerns that would change the rating.
Risk management
People's risks were assessed and care plans gave staff guidance on reducing the chance of harm. Emergency evacuation plans were in place for every person.
“Risks that people faced were assessed and managed appropriately.” from the report
Safe medicines
Staff were trained to give medicines and records were checked. Medicines were stored securely and inspectors found administration records were correctly completed when required.
“Medication administration records (MARs) were correctly completed when required.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people's preferences and relationships with them were positive. Inspectors saw staff protecting privacy and dignity during personal care.
“People were treated with dignity and respect; staff ensured privacy was maintained at all times.” from the report
Personalised support and activities
Care plans included people's life histories, likes and dislikes. The home provided group and one-to-one activities, visits and trips out.
“Support plans and assessments were reviewed regularly and updated where required.” from the report
Further dementia-friendly improvements
minorInspectors said the environment mostly met people's needs, but the management team was still making further improvements to the Delphland unit for people living with dementia.
“People's needs had mostly been met by adaptation, design and decoration” from the report
- 01What further improvements have been made to the Delphland unit to make it more dementia-friendly?
- 02How will you assess and update my relative's risk assessments and care plan?
- 03How will you make sure my relative receives medicines at the right times and that records remain complete?
- 04What activities would suit my relative's interests, abilities and preferences?
- 05How can relatives raise a complaint, and how will it be followed up?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, with the first visit unannounced and the second visit announced. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 July 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 Tree Tops Residential Home
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- December 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- July 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 22 December 2010.
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
At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of St. Helens
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. 92 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“He developed a close affinity with Terence, spending time talking with him before he retired to bed and looking after his needs during the night.”
“It was clear that she genuinely cared and her warm approach really helped put our minds at ease.”
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.