This inspection took place on 28 November 2017. The inspection was unannounced, this meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

The Cedars is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care under a contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premise and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection. The Cedars accommodates up to 63 people across two separate units the meadows and the main house, which have separate adapted facilities. At the time of our inspection 42 people were using the service.

This service has been recently acquired by a new provider and a new manager has been appointed and had taken up post. 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.

The service needed to provide activities for people to take part in taking into account people’s interests and hobbies. People needed further support to be given opportunities to take part in meaningful activities.

We recommend that the activity co-ordinators have training to be able to support people living with dementia to take part in activities meaningful to them and in the use of dementia friendly sensory aids.

People spoke positively about the service and the care that was provided. They told us they were listened to and staff were kind and caring.

People told us that they felt safe. Staff were clear about what was abuse and the steps that they should take to protect people. Risk’s to people’s daily life’s had been assessed.

There were adequate systems in place for the safe administration of medication and people received their medicines as intended.

Checks were undertaken on staff suitability for the role and there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet the needs of the people living in the service.

Staff received an induction to prepare them for their role and additional training was provided to support their learning and development. However, we recommend staff have access to more face to face training especially in supporting people living with dementia.

Staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

The provider was looking at ways to improve the mealtime experience for people as one dining room had limited lighting with no windows.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet and referred to other healthcare professionals when their health needs changed.

Care plans were written in a person centred way and were regularly reviewed to reflect people’s individual care and support.

The manager was new in post and feedback from people and staff were they were open and approachable. Staff were supported by a manager they liked and respected.

The provider had worked hard and prioritised people’s safety since taking over the service.

The provider’s quality monitoring system included regular reviews of people’s care plans, checks on medicines management and staff’s practices. Accidents, incidents falls and complaints were investigated and actions taken to minimise the risks of a re-occurrence.