Cairn Home

Updated 8 January 2025

Date of Assessment 13 February 2025 to 20 February 2025.

Cairn Home is a residential care home, providing accommodation and personal care to older adults with a range of support needs, including those living with sensory impairments and dementia. The home can accommodate up to 29 people, with 1 room dedicated to providing respite care. We carried out a comprehensive inspection of the service.

At this inspection we found concerns relating to staff training and the provider was in breach of regulations 12 and 17. Additionally, we found that some care plans contained conflicting information about people’s care needs and there was a lack of consideration to the Mental Capacity Act. There were also issues identified in relation to the management of medicines, the monitoring of some people’s weight management and fluid/food intake. Development was also needed around culture and learning at the service.

However, we found the service had a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Staff and management knew people’s needs and there was evidence of staff escalating concerns appropriately between professionals. We saw staff treating people with kindness, respect and dignity and acknowledged people as individuals. One person told us, "Staff are friendly and I describe us all as being one big family." Care plans were individualised and respected people’s lifestyle choices and preferences. People were encouraged to maintain a good social life outside of the service and were supported by staff to achieve this. Enough staff were in place to safely support people. Managers told us there was on-going staff recruitment, to ensure the service had a core staff team in place. The service was clean and homely, the environment supported people with sensory impairments to safely mobilise around the home. The service was in the process of renovating people’s bedrooms and the management team were in the process of modernising their recording systems, including moving to a digitalised system.

Updated 8 January 2025

People were mostly positive about the quality of their care at Cairn Residential Care Home. People told us they felt safe and well-cared for at the service. One person said, “'Staff are very caring and I am content here. The staff are kind and help me when I need it." Another person told us, “If you come here, you have every chance of living to a great age, they look after you so well.” We received mixed feedback from people about how staff treated them. One person said, “Some staff are absolutely wonderful and would do anything for you.”

However, another person told us, “There has been some staff changes, these staff don't know me as well and I have to keep repeating what I like/my routine to them.”

People told us staff encouraged their independence and were fond of the activities on offer at the home. Comments included, “We do a communal crossword most afternoon’s, which is quite fun, we have a laugh and enjoy each-others company.” The service supported residents with adaptations to maintain independence. One person told us, “It's good support here, [name] from the Royal Society for the Blind comes in and offers help. But I am okay for now and I can manage so far." Relatives were mainly positive about the service. One relative told us, “I am so grateful for the care my [relative] has here, since my [relative] has arrived, they have looked after them so well. Nothing is too much trouble, and I can't speak highly enough of the staff and managers.” Relatives also told us the managers were mainly responsive and communicated any concerns or changes and they were offered involvement in their loved one’s care and support planning process. One relative told us, “It’s an ‘open-door’ policy here, you can always speak to managers about anything.” However, another relative told us, “Sometimes there is difficulty getting through on the phone and this is difficult for relatives who live far away.”