Archived: Woodford Court

Woodford Court is a care home that provides accommodation and 24-hour support with personal care for up to 12 adults with learning disabilities.

There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 felt safe at the service. The provider had safeguarding policies and procedures were in place. Staff had received training about how to safeguard people and knew how to report any potential abuse.

There were enough staff to meet people's needs and the provider ensured all new staff had the relevant checks carried out before they started working at the service. Staff received regular training and supervision.

People and their representatives were happy with how care and support was provided. Staff had a good knowledge of people`s individual care needs. They treated people with dignity and respect and encouraged them to be independent.

Any potential risks to people were assessed to ensure their safety. There was a system in place to record when accidents or incidents had happened. People's medicines were safely managed.

People received care and support that were tailored to their individual needs. Staff were aware of people's likes and dislikes. People were provided with a choice of food and drink. They were supported by staff who respected their privacy and maintained their dignity.

People, relatives and staff felt the service was managed well. People who used the service and their relatives were asked about the quality of the service provided. The provider had a complaints policy in place. There were regular meetings for people and staff to discuss about the service.

During this inspection we found that the registered manager had implemented a new system of weekly checks which focussed on people's quality of care. People who used the service were asked for their views about their care and treatment and these were acted upon. One person said 'if there's a problem I'll speak to Susan' (the manager). A relative said 'we've had no trouble making our views known, the manager makes herself accessible'. We saw that meetings with relatives' had been reinstated and that there was a range of systems in place to assess and monitor service provision.

We found risk assessments and care plans were in place which set out how to meet people's individual needs. Records showed that people had regular access to other health care professionals. People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

We found that staff received appropriate professional development. However, we found that adequate systems were not in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provision.

People told us that they got enough to eat and drink. One person said 'the foods OK you get enough but it is nothing special.' Records showed that people were offered a varied and balanced diet. We observed staff provided support with eating in a patient and sensitive manner. However, we found that not all staff who prepared food at the service had received training in food safety and hygiene.

People told us they received support with their medication. One person said "staff help me with my medication, no problems." We saw that medications were stored securely. We found that the service had a complaints procedure, and that complaints received had been properly investigated. People told us they knew who to complain to, and that they felt confident their complaints would be listened to.