We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Cambridgeshire Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Cambridgeshire Care Home, you can give feedback on this 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.
We found the following examples of good practice:
Two purpose-built screened areas had been created on the ground floor to allow people and their family members to visit each other safely.
The home provided several social media platforms to help people stay in touch with their friends and families. Staff had provided specific IT training sessions for people to enable them to use these.
The home had a robust visitor management procedure in place to ensure people were kept safe.
The manager had worked hard to provide up to date information and education to staff who were nervous or anxious about being vaccinated.
The accommodation is a purpose built building split over three floors.
This unannounced inspection took place over two days, 10 and 11 January 2018. This was the first inspection of the home since it was registered with the commission on 19 December 2016.
At the time of the inspection there was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff were aware of how to keep people safe from harm and what procedures they should follow to report any harm. However the staff had not always followed the procedure to report unexplained bruising so that it could be investigated. The registered manager took immediate action to identify and investigate any cases of unexplained bruising.
The management of medicines was regularly audited to highlight any areas for improvement. Staff received training and competency checks before administering medicines unsupervised. Medicines were stored securely.
Action had been taken to minimise the risks to people. Risk assessments identified risks and provided staff with the information they needed to reduce risks were possible.
Staff were only employed after they completed a thorough recruitment procedure. There were enough staff on shift to ensure that people had their needs met in a timely manner. Staff received the training they required to meet people's needs and were supported in their roles.
People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice
Staff were motivated to provide care that was kind and compassionate. They knew people well and were aware of their history, preferences, likes and dislikes. People's privacy and dignity were respected.
People were supported to maintain good health as staff had the knowledge and skills to support them. There was prompt access to external healthcare professionals when needed.
People were provided with a choice of food and drink that they enjoyed. Meal times were also a sociable event when people enjoyed each other’s company.
There was a varied programme of activities including activities held in the service, one-to-one activities and entertainers that came into the home.
Care plans gave staff the information they required to meet people’s care and support needs. People received support in the way that they preferred and met their individual needs.
There was a complaints procedure in place. People and their relatives felt confident to raise any concerns either with the staff or registered manager. Complaints had been dealt with appropriately.
There was an effective quality assurance process in place which included obtaining the views of people that lived in the home, their relatives and the staff. Where needed action had been taken to make improvements to the service being offered.