Archived: Willow Court

Updated 21 November 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Willow Court is a domiciliary care service. The service is based within a housing complex provided by housing company and supports older people and people with physical disabilities to live in their own homes within the complex.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity was completed on 16 October when we visited the office and spoke with people using the service.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, care co-coordinator, a senior manager and two care workers. We also met and spoke with eight people who used the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 21 November 2019

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

People had good relationships with the staff and were complimentary of the care and support they received. Staff often went the extra mile to promote people’s wellbeing. They organised social events and gave people support in addition to their care packages. This included support with personal appointments, visiting beauty salons and attending church.

People told us they felt safe and staff knew what to do if they thought somebody was at risk.

There was a good standard of information showing how staff could minimise any risks, and people received their medicines safely.

People’s preferences about the support they received was integral to the assessment and care planning process. People were supported to maintain as much independence as possible.

Staff worked well with other health and social care professionals to make sure people received the support they needed.

Staff were recruited safely, well trained, and people had consistent staff providing their care.

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. People had signed their consent to care plans and risk assessments.

People told us staff provided their care and support in the way they preferred. They said staff respected their independence and privacy.

Systems were in place to gain the views of people using the service. People were involved in interviewing new staff.

The service benefitted from strong leadership. The registered manager worked with a wider management team to review and promote improvements within the service.

Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection we rated the service as good. (Published 18 May 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.