CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Treetops
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, June 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some flooring still needing replacement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 1 May 2019. Two inspectors and a specialist adviser spoke with eight people, four staff members, two deputy managers and the operations manager. They reviewed three care plans, medicines records and the home’s checks on quality and safety.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from harm, received medicines safely and had enough suitably recruited staff. Staff understood people’s needs and supported them to make choices.
People told inspectors that staff treated them with respect and dignity. Care plans were personalised, people took part in activities they enjoyed, and complaints were investigated. The home’s rating was unchanged from the previous inspection, published in May 2017.
People felt safe
Staff understood signs of abuse and knew how to report concerns. Risks were assessed and reviewed after incidents.
“People were protected from harm as staff had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and knew what actions to take to keep people safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People described good relationships with staff. Staff supported privacy, dignity, independence and personal expression.
“People felt staff and registered manager were caring and treated them with respect and dignity.” from the report
Choice and independence
People chose how to spend their time, what to wear and what to eat. Some people went out independently and people could help make decisions about their care.
“People were encouraged to make decisions about their care and support, we saw they chose how to spend their time and staff respected their decisions.” from the report
Personalised activities and care
Care plans recorded people’s preferences and support needs. People took part in activities and outings that interested them.
“People were involved in activities that interested them and spoke enthusiastically about the places they visited and how they spent their time.” from the report
Good management checks
Managers carried out audits and used incidents, meetings and feedback to identify improvements. Staff said communication and teamwork were good.
“The registered manager and the operations manager completed checks on the quality of the service and how it was managed to ensure where improvements were needed, these were identified and acted upon.” from the report
Flooring needed replacement
minorInspectors found some areas needed new flooring so they could be cleaned effectively. The provider had recognised this and ordered replacement flooring.
“Some areas of the home needed new flooring to ensure these areas could be cleaned effectively.” from the report
- 01Has the new flooring identified by inspectors been fitted, and are all areas now easy to clean?
- 02How will you assess and review my relative’s risks, especially if their needs or behaviour change?
- 03What activities and opportunities for going out would be available for my relative?
- 04How would my relative be supported to make choices about care, treatment, food and daily routines?
- 05How would you involve my relative and our family in reviewing their personalised care plan?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering the home’s overall quality and all five CQC questions; the previous rating was Good in May 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 June 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, May 2017
Treetops rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with minor issues about hand-drying, a damp ceiling and activity support.
This was an unannounced inspection. Inspectors reviewed care plans, staff records, medicines records and safety audits. They spoke with six people, managers and staff, and used observation where people could not fully express their views.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable training, respectful care, activities and systems for handling complaints.
The previous inspection in November 2015 found two breaches. These concerned person-centred activities and cleanliness and maintenance. Inspectors said improvements had been made and the home was now compliant in all areas.
There were a few issues during this inspection. Toilets initially had no paper towels, one bedroom had a damp patch on the ceiling, and support from an occupational therapist for activities had not happened for six months.
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing levels were sufficient to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Recruitment checks were completed before staff started work.
“People told us they felt there were enough staff to meet their needs and provide care and support and we could see this was the case.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored, given and recorded safely. Staff involved in medicines had training and supervision.
“We saw the staff member ensured people received the correct medicine and completed the MAR chart afterwards.” from the report
Improved activities
The home had introduced a range of activities and outings since the previous inspection. Activities were planned around people's interests and choices.
“At this inspection visit we could see this had been addressed and there were now various activities available to people.” from the report
People involved
People were involved in care planning, meetings and surveys. Their feedback was used to make action plans.
“People who lived at Treetops were invited to meetings which helped them to be included in what was happening in the home.” from the report
Toilet hand-drying
needs fixingWhen inspectors arrived, none of the toilets had paper towels. The home provided them before the inspection ended.
“This puts people at risk of infection as hands are not dried properly.” from the report
Damp ceiling
minorOne person's bedroom had a damp patch on the ceiling. Managers said this was being addressed, but the report does not say whether the work was completed.
“However, there was one person's room which had a damp patch showing on the ceiling.” from the report
Activity support
needs fixingThe activities co-ordinator had not received planned monthly support from an occupational therapist for six months. One person also said they were bored.
“They told us they had been supported by an occupational therapist to provide activities on a monthly basis but this had not happened for six months.” from the report
Change in manager
minorThe registered manager had recently left. The operations manager was applying to become the registered manager, while the deputy manager managed the home day to day.
“The registered manager had left the service and the Operations Manager was in the process of applying to become the registered manager.” from the report
- 01Has the damp patch on the bedroom ceiling been repaired, and how is the home checking for further damp or maintenance problems?
- 02How are paper towels in the toilets checked and kept available now?
- 03What activities are available for people who prefer to stay in their rooms or who say they are bored?
- 04Why did occupational therapy support for activities stop for six months, and has it now restarted?
- 05Who is currently responsible for the home while the operations manager's application to become registered manager is being dealt with?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five rating areas; the report gives the visit date as 27 February 2017 in its summary and background, but 21 February 2017 on its front page. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 May 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 Treetops
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- June 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 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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