Archived: The Willows

Updated 30 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2014 and to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We also reviewed the provider information return (PIR) submitted to us. This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

The inspection was unannounced. The first day of the inspection on 11 November 2017 was carried out by one inspector and the second day on 08 March 2018 by two inspectors.

During the inspection we spoke with four people who used the service, one relative, four staff members, three health care professionals and the registered manager. We received information from service commissioners and health and social care professionals. We viewed information relating to four people’s care and support. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service.

We did not use the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) because people living in The Willows were able to share with us their experience of the service. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us due to their complex health needs.

Updated 30 March 2018

The Willows is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. They are registered to provide accommodation and personal care to 12 older people some of whom may live with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 10 people living in the home.

This inspection was carried out on 28 November 2017 and 07 March 2018 and was unannounced. When we previously inspected the service on 07 January 2016 we found that care records were not always regularly updated to provide a comprehensive account of people’s changing needs and staff were not provided with sufficient training to develop their skills to meet people`s needs effectively. At this inspection we found that these areas had improved.

The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

People told us they felt safe living at The Willows and their needs were met. Health care professionals were complimentary about staff and the registered manager and they felt that staff provided effective care and support to people. Staff were knowledgeable about how keep people safe and how to manage risks to people’s safety and well-being. People told us there were sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs in a timely manner. Staff were recruited through robust procedures.

People were involved in planning their care and support and their views were listened to by staff. Staff worked in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and promoted choice and involvement. Staff knew people well, were caring and respected people’s preferences. People were asked for their permission before staff assisted them with care or support.

Staff attended regular training sessions and the registered manager created opportunities for continuous development. Staff received regular support from management which helped them to feel supported and valued and they told us they felt able to seek assistance when they needed to. People were supported to eat and drink and had regular access to health and social care professionals.

People’s privacy and dignity was promoted and they told us staff were caring and kind. People received care that met their needs in a way they liked and care plans contained up to date, clear information. People told us they planned their days and the activities they wanted to do on a daily basis. There were no recent complaints and feedback we received from people, their relatives, staff and professionals was positive.

Everyone we spoke to in the home and health professionals were positive about the management of the home. There were effective quality assurance systems in the home and there was visible leadership for staff. The ethos of the home was person centred and the environment was homely.