Archived: The Willows

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

We spoke with one person who was available during our visit. They told us that they felt safe and did not have any worries about living at the Willows. We saw that staff had received training in how to report and identify any allegations and abuse and we saw through risk assessments that the main aim was to keep people safe. Staff were clear about the whistleblowing process and which agencies they could speak to. We saw that the manager carried out a quarterly check of health and safety within the building and house meeting minutes noted that complaints and safeguarding issues were reinforced to people who lived at The Willows.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed on a regular basis, and where people had limited verbal communication, efforts had been made by staff to ensure that effective sign language could be used by one person including the use of tablet computers. People's needs were taken into account with care plans outlined in pictorial form and other information presented in the same way depending on their communication skills.

Is the service caring?

We spoke with one person who used the service. They were happy living at The Willows and commented that the staff team were helpful and caring. We saw that staff interactions with this person were respectful and supportive. We had discussions with the staff team. They were clear about how the rights of people were promoted through their knowledge of safeguarding procedures and the whistleblowing process. They demonstrated through discussions their commitment to ensuring that people were safe and supportive.

Is the service responsive?

The service had a quality assurance processes in place which sought the views of people involved in the support of people living at The Willows. This extended to the views of the staff team and relatives. This was done through supervision and appraisal of staff and quality audits from the provider. The Staff considered that they were listened to and supported by the provider. We also saw evidence through care plans that as needs changed; plans were amended and reviewed on a regular basis.

Is the service well-led?

The service had a registered manager who had the required skills and experience to carry out their role. Staff told us that the manager was supportive and approachable and included the staff team in decisions which related to the service. (already above)They felt that the wider organisation assisted them to carry out their role and were complimentary particularly about the training provided to them.

You can see our judgements on the front page of this report.

Only one person who used the service was present during our visit. An invitation was extended to this person to see if they wanted to express their views of the support offered but they declined. We were able to observe the person being asked and this was done in an informative manner and their decision was respected. While we were not able to speak to people using the service on this occasion or their families, we had gained comments from relatives during our visit in February 2013 and these were positive. No concerns had been received by us since then.

We found that individuals living at the Willows are involved in their support, have their daily wishes taken into account and have their health promoted. Their wellbeing is further promoted through the safe management of medication. The service monitors the quality of its support and includes the views of people and their families. The standard of record keeping in the service is now satisfactory and meets our standards. We found that the service provides a person centred level of support taking the independence of people into account.

Limited information was obtained from some of the people due to communication difficulties. We spoke to two people who lived at the home. They said staff treated them kindly and with respect. We spoke to two relatives. Relatives said people were:

'Overall reasonably well looked after'

'Always nice and clean and nicely dressed'

'They are really happy there'

Care records showed individual needs and preferences were taken into account. Care plans had been regularly reviewed and updated when a person's needs changed. Daily logs of people's health and wellbeing showed people received the care they needed.

Staff had a good understanding of the signs of abuse and what to do if they suspected abuse. Safeguarding and whistle blowing polices were in place and training in safeguarding was up to date. We reviewed staffing levels and found sufficient staffing was in place to support people who lived at the home.

A complaints policy ensured effective complaint handling and systems to log, track and monitor complaints were in place.

Some records reviewed during our visit were incomplete or not signed appropriately. This meant there was a lack of proper information within care records.