26 January 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Sycamore Cottage is residential care home providing accommodation for people requiring personal or nursing care for up to 14 people. The service provides support to older people and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Expected food hygiene standards could not always be met because the kitchen was old and required replacement. The provider had ordered a replacement kitchen and was waiting for dates for delivery and installation.
Safety checks and routine maintenance was carried out to ensure the premises and any equipment were safe to use. The provider was in the process of refurbishing and redecorating the building.
We made a recommendation about protocols for medicines prescribed on an ‘as required' basis. Staff managed people’s medicine in as safe way. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. Staff were recruited in a safe way.
People were safe because staff had training about protecting people from abuse. People had confidence in staff and managers. Risks were assessed and staff knew how to reduce risk and how to provide reassurance if people became distressed.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People and staff were involved and consulted about the day to day running of the service. People had choices and their feedback was used to improve care and support. Care and support was person centred and achieved good outcomes for people. Staff and managers knew people well and understood the things which were important to them.
Checks and audits were carried out and areas for improvement were identified and implemented. The provider and managers had a very hands on approach and were supportive to people and staff.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 10 October 2019).
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.