Archived: Three Willows Residential Care Home

Three Willows Residential Care Home provides accommodation for up to 21 older people who have dementia care needs. There were 19 people living at the home when we visited. There was a registered manager at the service however they were on annual leave at the time of our 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.

The experiences of people who lived at the home were positive. People told us they felt safe living at the home, staff were kind and the care they received was good. We found staff had a good understanding of their responsibility with regard to safeguarding adults.

People’s needs were assessed and their preferences identified as much as possible across all aspects of their care. Risks were identified and plans in place to monitor and reduce risks. People had access to relevant health professionals when they needed them. Medicines were stored and administered safely.

Staff undertook training and received regular supervision to help support them to provide effective care. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). MCA and DoLS is law protecting people who are unable to make decisions for themselves or whom the state has decided their liberty needs to be deprived in their own best interests. People told us they liked the food provided and we saw people were able to choose what they ate and drank.

There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff employed by the service. Staff had been recruited safely with appropriate checks on their backgrounds completed.

People’s needs were met in a personalised manner. We found that care plans were in place which included information about how to meet a person’s individual and assessed needs. The service had a complaints procedure in place.

The service had a registered manager in place and a management structure with clear lines of accountability. Staff told us the service had an open and inclusive atmosphere and senior staff were approachable and accessible. The service had various quality assurance and monitoring mechanisms in place. These included surveys, audits and staff and resident meetings.

People at Three Willows Residential Care Home told us that they were happy there and we found that care was planned and delivered by staff who understood the needs of the residents well. The risks were properly assessed and plans were put in place to manage them. One person told us, " I like it here."

People were cared for in a suitably clean environment and we saw that the home had a comprehensive infection control and cleaning policy. The staff understood the procedures well. One resident told us, "It is clean everywhere."

People were asked for their permission before any care or treatment was carried out and we found that the relatives were also kept informed and asked for consent. The staff explained the care plans to the residents and sought their consent before care was delivered.

The provider supported the staff in their professional training and development; staff had supervision and appraisal on a regular basis.

The provider had not had any complaints recently but when they did, they dealt with them satisfactorily and learnt from the process.