Woodlands

Updated 1 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 18 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 1 February 2022

We carried out this unannounced inspection on the 6 November 2018. At our last inspection we rated the service good. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Woodlands is a care home that provides care and support for 6 people who are living with mental health conditions. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. There were 5 people living at Woodlands at the time of the inspection and one person was currently in hospital.

There was a registered manager at the service who was present throughout the inspection. 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 were supported by staff who understood the signs of potential abuse and the appropriate steps to take should they have concerns. Whilst the service had managed people’s daily risks well we found one instance where they had not identified safety risks or put plans in place to mitigate these risks. Following the inspection the registered manager advised that this event was being investigated and that procedures would be put in place to minimise the risk of a similar event occurring.

People received support to take their medicines safely by staff who had been assessed as competent to provide this support. Medicines were stored safely and there were systems in place to regularly check that people’s medicines were given as prescribed.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff training had been provided around people’s individual needs including training on mental health conditions. People had their healthcare needs met and were assisted to have foods and drinks they enjoyed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported by a range of healthcare professionals as required to promote their physical and mental health.

Staff demonstrated that they enjoyed their work with the people who lived at the service. We saw people were relaxed around the staff and natural conversations took place throughout the day. People had their independence encouraged and promoted in many aspects of their lives.

People were involved in planning daily aspects of their care to ensure it met their individual needs. Formal reviews of people’s care took place to ensure the care provided continued to meet their needs. Many people had a full and active life and took part in activities that were of interest to them.

People were involved in monitoring the quality of the service. The provider had monitoring systems in place to ensure the service continued to be safe and of a good quality in line with people’s needs and wishes.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.