The Cambridgeshire Care Home

Updated 16 December 2022

Inspection team

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors. One of the inspectors worked remotely and contacted relatives.

Service and service type

The Cambridgeshire Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and we looked at both during this inspection.

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and commissioners of the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and seven other people’s relatives. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior care staff, care staff and hospitality staff.

We reviewed a range of records, this included three people's care records and medicines’ records. We also looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed, including incident records, complaints, compliments, quality assurance processes and policies.

Updated 16 December 2022

About the service

The Cambridgeshire Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 72 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 66 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe living at the service. The provider had systems in place to manage risk and keep people safe from avoidable harm.

Staffing levels meant that people were safe, and they received their care in a timely manner. People received their medication as prescribed. There were systems in place to record, monitor and learn from accidents and incidents.

Staff had the knowledge, skills and support they required to meet people's needs effectively. People's physical, emotional and social needs were identified so staff could meet these. Staff enjoyed working at The Cambridgeshire Care Home and told us that they would be happy to have a member of their family living there.

People received support with eating and drinking when needed. People were supported to maintain good health and were supported by or referred to the relevant healthcare professionals.

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.

Staff were calm, kind and gentle in their interactions with people and supported them to remain independent whilst maintain their safety and welfare. People's privacy and dignity was maintained. Staff were caring and compassionate supporting people.

People were consulted about their care and had been given information in an accessible way. People were supported to pursue their hobbies and avoid the risk of social isolation. People were treated with compassion at the end of their lives, so they had a dignified death.

Systems were in place to monitor how well the service was running. Complaints and concerns were followed up to make sure action was taken to rectify the issue.

People were asked their views of the service and action was taken to change any areas they were not happy with. The registered manager and senior staff team managed the service well. They were passionate about giving people a high-quality service and ensuring that staff were supported and skilled to deliver the service effectively.

Mental Capacity Act

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Last rating and update

The last rating for this service was good (report published March 2018). At this inspection we found the service had remained good.

Why we inspected

We were prompted to carry out this inspection due to concerns we received about the care people were receiving, the leadership and staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the Safe and Well-led question sections of this full report.

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.