Woodlands Care Home

Updated 12 January 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

Woodlands Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Woodlands Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people about their experiences of care received. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed 5 people’s care records, multiple medicines records, health and safety records, quality monitoring records and staff recruitment files for 3 staff. We spoke with 4 members of staff, the registered manager and regional support manager.

After the inspection

Following our site visit we contacted 5 relatives for their feedback about the service, we spoke with 4 on the telephone and 1 responded to us by email. We also contacted 3 professionals by email for their feedback about the service and all 3 responded.

We continued to validate evidence found. We reviewed training and supervision data, complaints and safeguarding information, meeting minutes and further quality monitoring information.

Updated 12 January 2023

About the service

Woodlands Care Home provides accommodation with personal care for up to 31 people. The service provides support to people living with dementia, mental health conditions and people over 65 years. Accommodation was provided on 2 floors accessed by stairs and a lift. People had their own room and access to communal areas such as a lounge and dining room. There was a garden which is accessed from the ground floor. At the time of the inspection there were 25 people living at the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Some aspects of the environment needed repair. For example, we found radiator covers were not always attached to the walls securely. The registered manager took action to address this concern during the inspection and make sure all radiator covers were secure or repaired. The registered manager told us there was a plan to update the environment. People’s rooms were being refurbished as and when possible.

Prior to our inspection, we were told a fire exit was blocked. We checked during our site visit and found it was not blocked but equipment stored nearby needed better organisation. The registered manager took action to address this during our inspection.

Whilst there were some shortfalls with the environment the home was clean and smelt fresh. Systems were in place to make sure all areas of the home were thoroughly cleaned.

People had their medicines as prescribed. A new electronic system for medicines management had been installed since the last inspection. This alerted staff to any missed medicines so staff could take immediate action. People who were prescribed ‘as required’ medicines did not always have guidance in place for staff to follow. The registered manager took action to address this during the inspection.

People were being supported by enough staff. We observed during our site visit people’s needs were met in a timely way. However, some people and staff told us there were times there were not enough staff available at night. We shared this with the registered manager who told us they would review peak times with staff. Staff had been recruited safely.

Staff received training on a range of topics and had support from the provider. This included areas such as safeguarding and infection prevention and control. New staff had induction which included shadowing of more experienced staff. We observed staff were working safely following good infection prevention and control procedures.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Mealtimes were relaxed and unhurried. People had their meal in a timely way from staff who were aware of their nutritional needs. People had access to snacks and drinks throughout the day. People’s health needs were met as staff referred them to healthcare professionals in a timely way.

Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and care plans were in place to give staff guidance. The provider had updated their care planning system to electronic recording which enabled staff to access all the information they needed. There was a daily handover where updates were shared, and staff told us there was good communication amongst the teams.

Systems were in place to monitor quality and identify areas for improvements. There were various action plans in place which were produced following quality audits. The registered manager and provider kept oversight of actions to make sure they were carried out and closed. Incidents and accidents were recorded and reviewed by management. Any lessons learned to prevent reoccurrence were shared with staff during handovers and meetings.

People, relatives and professionals all shared positive comments about the staff approach to care and told us they felt people were safe and well cared for. All relatives we spoke with told us they would not hesitate to recommend the service to others. People and relatives had opportunity to share feedback via surveys and in meetings.

There was a registered manager in post, and we were told their approach was inclusive, open and transparent. Communication from the management was good and the registered manager knew people’s needs well.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 7 February 2019) and there was 1 breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 3 December 2018. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woodlands Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.