Westlake

Updated 9 July 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert at this inspection had experience of caring for older people.

Service and service type:

Westlake is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. Registered managers 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:

This was an unannounced inspection, which meant the provider and staff were not aware that we were coming.

What we did:

Before the inspection we used information, the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they intend to make. This information helps us support our inspections.

We reviewed information we had received about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as incidents and abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority.

During the inspection:

We observed the support that people received, spoke with people and staff and gathered information relating to the management of the service.

We used the short observational framework for inspection (SOFI), which is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four staff recruitment files, training records, records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures and quality assurance processes developed and implemented by the provider.

We reviewed five people’s care records.

We spoke with 14 people living at the service and four visitors.

We spoke with eight members of staff, including the manager, a regional manager, the deputy manager, a registered nurse, maintenance staff, ancillary staff, an activities co-ordinator, the chef and care staff.

Updated 9 July 2019

About the service:

Westlake is a care home registered to provide nursing and residential care and accommodation for 63 people with various health conditions, including dementia and diabetes. There were 53 people living at the service on the day of our inspection. Westlake is a large purpose built care home located in Horsham, West Sussex.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were happy with the care they received, felt relaxed with staff and told us they were treated with kindness. They said they felt safe, were well supported and there were sufficient staff to care for them.

Our own observations supported this, and we saw friendly relationships had developed between people and staff. A relative told us, “This is a very happy home; We knew the moment we walked through the door that it would be a safe place and that’s why we chose it”.

People enjoyed an independent lifestyle and told us their needs were met. They enjoyed the food, drink and activities that took place daily. One person told us, “I have just come back here after being in hospital and I couldn’t wait to get back. Everybody was so welcoming. It is good to be home again. The staff are wonderful here”. A visitor said, “Mum has put on weight since coming here and enjoys all her food. They have a good choice of food at each meal”.

People felt the service was homely and welcoming to them and their visitors. One person told us, “I came for a trial run for a few weeks and chose to stay here. The staff are very kind, and my daughter is made welcome when she comes. The food and care is excellent”.

People told us they thought the service was well managed and they enjoyed living there. A visitor told us, “We knew immediately we walked in here that it was the right place for mum, and we didn’t look at any more places. We made a good choice as she is very happy here and the staff are excellent”.

Staff had received training considered essential by the provider. It was clear from observing the care delivered and the feedback people and staff gave us, that they knew the best way to care for people in line with their needs and preferences. A member of staff told us, “I’ve had extra training, as I am now a senior”.

The provider had systems of quality assurance to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. These systems also supported people to stay safe by assessing and mitigating risks, ensuring that people were cared for in a person centred way and that the provider learned from any mistakes. Our own observations and the feedback we received supported this. People received high quality care that met their needs and improved their wellbeing from dedicated and enthusiastic staff. A member of staff told us, “I’m proud to work here. We get to know the residents very well and we are all happy”.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 20 December 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about this home and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good.