CQC report explained · a nursing home, run by Maven Healthcare (Cypress Court)
Cypress Court
Broad Street, Crewe, CW1 3DH
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the service was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
- Safe?
- Good
- There were enough staff, risks were assessed and safety checks were completed. Medicines were given as prescribed, although some liquid and topical medicines were not dated when opened.
- Effective?
- Requires improvement
- People were supported with food, drink, healthcare and consent, and staff had suitable training. However, fluid charts were not always completed accurately and further dementia-friendly orientation aids were recommended.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff respected people's privacy, dignity, independence and choices. Inspectors saw warm and compassionate interactions, and people and relatives were involved in care planning.
- Responsive?
- Requires improvement
- Care plans were personalised and complaints were followed up. However, some people found staff communication difficult, and activities attracted limited interest.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Management and quality monitoring had improved. People, relatives and staff were involved in the service, and the home showed evidence of acting on feedback and previous inspection findings.
What inspectors found, October 2023
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found safer, kinder and better-led care, but communication, activities and some records still need improvement.
This was an unannounced follow-up inspection after the home had previously been rated Inadequate and placed in special measures. Inspectors visited on 22, 24 and 25 August 2023, and reviewed records, medicines, staffing, care plans and audits. They also spoke with people, relatives, staff and visiting professionals.
The home had made important improvements. There were enough staff, medicines were given as prescribed, risks were assessed, and people were treated with kindness and respect. Care plans, staff training and quality checks had also improved.
Some areas were still inconsistent. Liquid and topical medicines were not always dated when opened, fluid records were sometimes incomplete, and there were limited dementia-friendly signs. Some people found communication difficult and showed little interest in the activities offered.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. Safe, Caring and Well-led were rated Good. Effective and Responsive remained Requires Improvement. The home was no longer in breach of regulations and was no longer in special measures.
Staffing improved
The home had recruited a more stable staff team and inspectors found enough staff to support people safely. People were supported by staff who knew their needs.
“The home had recruited a stable and consistent staff team, with limited use of agency staff or nurses.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff protected people's privacy and dignity and encouraged independence. Inspectors saw compassionate interactions and found that people and relatives were involved in care decisions.
“We observed warm, compassionate and considerate interactions between staff and people during the inspection.” from the report
Better management checks
Audits and action plans had become more robust. The management team acted on issues from the previous inspection and recorded improvements.
“The management team completed a range of audits and quality monitoring processes in the areas of medicines management, health and safety, infection prevention and control, care plans and people's dining experiences.” from the report
Safer care planning
People's needs, choices and risks were recorded in detailed care plans. These were reviewed and updated when people's needs changed.
“People's needs and choices were assessed and detailed in their care plans.” from the report
Medicine opening dates
minorSome liquid and topical medicines were not marked with their opening date. Inspectors recommended that the home follow current guidance on managing these medicines.
“However, not all topical treatments or liquid medicines were marked with a date of opening.” from the report
Fluid records
needs fixingFluid charts were not always accurate because drinks given during visits from relatives were not always recorded. The manager took immediate action to address this.
“However, fluid charts were not always completed accurately.” from the report
Communication
needs fixingSome people said they could not always understand staff, and one person felt uncomfortable when staff spoke to each other in another language. The home was asked to review how staff communicate.
“The staff are kind but they don't always understand you” from the report
Activities
needs fixingActivities were happening more often, but people showed limited interest and some said they were bored. The home was reviewing the programme and looking for transport for community activities.
“I'm so bored, I'd like to go out more” from the report
Dementia-friendly signs
needs fixingThere were some signs and colour-coded equipment, but inspectors found that more orientation aids were needed to help people living with dementia move around the home.
“However, people living with dementia would benefit from further implementation of dementia friendly orientation aids to enable them to navigate the home environment more effectively.” from the report
- 01How do you make sure liquid and topical medicines are dated when they are opened?
- 02How will you ensure fluid charts are completed when relatives are visiting?
- 03What are you doing to help people understand staff and communicate their needs?
- 04What new activities and community outings are planned for people who are bored or not interested in the current programme?
- 05What additional dementia-friendly signs or orientation aids have been introduced since the inspection?
This was an unannounced follow-up inspection checking action from the previous inspection, with infection prevention and control also reviewed; all five key questions were rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 October 2023 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 Cypress Court
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Requires improvement.
- October 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingup from InadequateSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- June 2023InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2022
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 May 2022.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission. A service can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections, not every contact the CQC has had with the service.
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