Archived: White Willows Extra care housing scheme

We gathered evidence against the outcomes we inspected to help answer our five key questions; is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff understood their role in safeguarding the people they supported. People and their relatives said, 'I feel very safe, I would tell the manager if I didn't', 'we as a family know she is safe, which gives us peace of mind' and 'I've no worries at all.'

People told us that they felt their rights and dignity were respected. People said, 'staff are very polite, they always knock on my door before being invited in', 'I have always said that I would prefer not to have male staff to shower me and this has always been respected', 'staff are very respectful' and 'staff help me as I wish but I still feel independent, this is very important to me.'

We found risk assessments had been undertaken to identify any potential risk and the actions required to manage the risk. This meant that people were not put at unnecessary risk but also had access to choice and remained in control of decisions about their care and lives.

The manager and senior care staff organised the scheduling of visits to ensure people's preferences and identified needs were taken into account. This helps to ensure people's needs are always met.

Is the service effective?

People told us they were actively involved in making decisions about care and support. People's health and care needs were assessed with them and their representatives, and they were involved in writing the support plans. People said support plans were up to date and reflected their current needs.

Staff were provided with training to ensure they had the skills to meet people's needs. Staff were provided with formal individual supervision and appraisals to ensure they were adequately supported and their performance was appraised. The registered and operations manager and senior support staff were accessible to staff for advice and support.

People who used the service and relatives told us they thought the care staff were experienced and well trained.

Is the service caring?

Care workers we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of people's needs and were able to give examples of how they promoted people's independence.

We asked people and their relatives for their opinions about the support provided. Feedback and comments were very positive, for example; 'the carers are lovely, they are very kind ', 'I can't fault them[care staff],they are lovely ',' they [care staff] never rush me, they take their time ,spend time having a chat, they are lovely', 'I would certainly recommend White Willows and the staff to other people' and 'the staff are wonderful.'

During our inspection we saw people were very comfortable in the presence of staff. We observed staff talking to people throughout the inspection and they were respectful and treated people in a friendly and supportive way.

Health and social care professionals said, 'I am very happy with the care and support the staff and this service provide, I have no worries.'

Is the service responsive?

People and relatives we spoke with said they had never had to make a complaint but knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. We found appropriate procedures were in place to respond to and record any complaints received. People could be assured that systems were in place to investigate complaints and take action as necessary.

People said they felt listened to and the service would respond to their views. They told us the staff and the managers were flexible and accommodating with visit times. People told us 'I feel listened to, any worries I can speak with the manager, she is very good' and 'I see the manager most days, she often pops in for a chat, any problems are sorted straight away.'

Is the service well-led?

The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service and others. People who used the service and their representatives were asked for their views about care and support and these were acted on. We saw evidence that the provider carried out annual satisfaction surveys. Feedback was currently being analysed and the manager and provider were looking at the action they needed to take in relation to the survey findings. We saw that the results of the surveys, in the main, were very positive.

Care and support staff said a manager regularly worked alongside them. Staff said their performance and care practices were monitored and observed at these times. We saw records of these observations. We saw evidence that staff performance was discussed at their supervision sessions and appraisals. Records we checked showed staff supervision and appraisals varied in frequency from staff to staff. The manager was currently taking action to ensure that the consistency and frequency of staff supervision and appraisals were improved.

Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff said over the past few months they had felt 'much more supported' and they felt the service as a whole had improved. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the service and showed a commitment toward their work with White Willows. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service at all times.