Enter and view: Cherry Trees Care Home

Healthwatch Rotherham undertook an enter and view visit to Cherry Trees Care Home on 17 January 2024.

Overall, the residents are happy and feel safe living at Cherry Tree Care home and the staff enjoy working there. The residents' families are well supported both through the carer’s support group and the strong relationships they have with staff and management at the home. Both residents and families feel comfortable raising any concerns they have directly with staff. The care home is well run by the manager who clearly takes time to get to know the residents and their families as well as providing a supportive environment for the staff. 

The care home is clean, bright and welcoming and the layout makes it easy to navigate. Residents' rooms feel homely and personal, with lots of photos, ornaments and personalised decoration observed. One thing that was noted was that the name plaques on the residents doors could be made to be more personal,rather than just plain white laminated paper. Also,the memory boxes outside residents' rooms need to be filled and personalised to those living there. 

Meal times are calm and organised with plenty of support available to those who need it. Although there is a set menu every day, the residents seem happy with the food and choices available to them. However, picture menus set up to assist residents in choosing their food were blank in one dining room Healthwatch observed and efforts should be made to ensure these are always up to date.  Healthwatch also received feedback that the food was warm, rather than hot. 

Staff members are polite, friendly and warm and Healthwatch observed lots of positive interactions with residents. There are plenty of activities planned for the residents and these are displayed clearly for residents to see. The activities are adapted according to popularity so that the residents get to do more of the things they enjoy. 

Through general observations, it was noted that all the handrails in the care home are looking rundown and tired in terms of decorating and could do with a refresh. Also, some of the signs around the home weren’t dementia friendly and could do with updating.

The report contains six recommendations.