Cherry Lodge

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 69 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Systems and processes in place had now ensured that any incidents and accidents taking place were recorded, reported and investigated as necessary to ensure people’s safety. We saw actions being taken to support a person after they had a fall which included contacting the GP for advice.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed and monitored. A healthcare professional told us, “It appears that the home is well organised and runs well. Whenever I have made some comments or suggestions, it was always taken on board.”

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately. People felt safe living at this care home, commenting, “This is a good home” and “I like it here.” A family member told us their relative was “perfectly safe where she is.” Staff were aware of the safeguarding procedure and the actions they had to take to ensure people lived safely and free from abuse. Their comments included, “Safeguarding is to make sure that people are safe and if there is an issue regarding abuse, you need to bring it to the manager’s attention. We have to inform the CQC and the social worker if managers are not good at taking things further” and “Safeguarding is to protect the resident and their rights against abuse, any kind of abuse such as financial. I would report to my seniors such as the team leader, escalated to the management and then outside to the CQC or council if any concerns or I had seen something that is not right.”

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. Risk assessments were completed where staff had identified potential risks to people’s safety. Actions were included to minimise the likelihood of the risks occurring. This was in relation to personal hygiene, finances, social relationships and sexuality.

The provider did not always detect and control potential risks in the care environment. They did not always make sure the facilities supported the delivery of safe care. We were provided with a ‘Maintenance Improvement Plan 2025’ that included actions for front and rear gardens aimed at creating a more welcoming and pleasant space for people using it. However, during our visit we saw a corner side of the rear garden not being accessible and potentially a trip hazard to people because it was used to store some building materials and discarded items. We shared these concerns with the registered manager which they addressed on the same day by asking the maintenance person to tidy up this part of the garden.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. Staff were now receiving regular supervisions which included staff's training needs. We noted supervision records lacked detail about the support provided to staff to develop in their role. We discussed this with the registered manager who told us this information would be included in staff records, going forwards. Staff were required to undertake pre-employment checks before they started working with people. There was a stable team and enough staff to ensure effective care delivery. A healthcare professional told us, “I have been visiting the home for more than 3 years and the good thing is that there doesn’t seem to be any staff turnover, which is good for continuity in the care of the residents.” A family member said that “there are always plenty of staff there.”

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. We saw staff following good hygiene practices and using personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and aprons effectively and safely.

The provider did not always make sure they effectively monitored the management of people’s medicines. Systems in place had not ensured robust oversight of the support people received with their medicines. People’s medicines were audited monthly which meant that any errors occurring were not identified quickly to ensure people’s safety. We also found that competency assessments were not carried out, to observe staff administering the medicines to people, to make sure they always followed the good practice guidance.

Staff followed the provider’s procedures making sure people received their medicines as prescribed. Their comments included, “We make sure it's the right person and check their name, what type of route they take the tablets and if its liquid, we need to follow the procedure of how much to give. If they refuse, firstly I write it down in the MAR [Medicine Administration Record] sheet and ask my colleagues to give a try. If the person is still refusing, we need to tell the manager and GP.” We found that MAR charts were properly completed and easy to follow.