Archived: Woodlands Residential Care Home

Updated 15 March 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection was carried out over two days on the 17 and 18 February 2016. Our visit on 17 February was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the previous Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection reports about the service and notifications that we had received from the service. We also contacted the local authority commissioners to seek their views about the service. No concerns were received about the service.

Part of our information gathering includes a request to the provider to complete and return to us a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a document that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. On this occasion, we did not request a PIR before our visit. This was because the inspection date was brought forward and the visit carried out sooner than originally planned.

During our visit we spoke with the registered manager, who is also the provider of the service, two deputy managers, one care worker, one housekeeper and the cook. We also spoke with one visiting mental health professional worker and five people who used the service and a relative who visited the home on a regular basis.

We looked around the building, watched staff interacting with and supporting people, examined four people’s care records, six medicine administration records, three staff personnel files, staff training records and records about the management of the home such as auditing records.

Updated 15 March 2016

This inspection was carried out over two days on the 17 and 18 February 2016. Our visit on 17 February was unannounced.

We last inspected Woodlands Residential Care Home in September 2014. At that inspection we found that the service was meeting the regulations we assessed.

Woodlands Residential Care Home is registered to provide 24 hour care and support for up to 18 adults who have physical and or mental health problems. The home is a large detached property overlooking Alexandra Park in Oldham, Lancashire and is located approximately one mile from the town centre. At the time of our inspection 17 people were living at the home.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff we spoke with had a clear understanding of their role in protecting people and making sure people remained safe and free from harm.

Those staff that had received appropriate training were responsible for the management and administration of medicines at the home. A policy and procedure was in place for the safe handling of medication and completed documentation was available to show that medication was being administered to people using the service as prescribed by their general practitioner.

Staffing rotas indicated that there was a consistent number of staff on duty throughout the week and at weekends to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Risk assessments were in place and provided guidance for staff to follow about how to manage identified risk(s) in order to promote and maintain people’s independence wherever possible.

Suitable arrangements were in place for the prevention and control of infection. All bathrooms and toilet areas were clean and hygienic and all contained a wall mounted liquid soap dispenser and paper towel dispenser.

People’s healthcare assessments and identified needs were reflected within their care plans, which were reviewed on a regular basis.

Staff told us, and we observed, people being asked for their consent and cooperation before any care or support was offered or given. Where people refused support, this was respected.

We spoke with the cook who told us about the different types of meals provided, including catering for people that are diabetic or required special diets. They were also knowledgeable about the likes and dislikes of people who lived at the home.

The staff had good working relationships with visiting healthcare professionals such as doctors, district nurses and individuals from the community mental health team.

Wherever possible, people using the service would be involved in discussions about their care and treatment and the decision would then be recorded in their care plan. For those people who may not be able to participate in discussions, we saw that representatives had been involved in the care planning process. We spoke with a relative who confirmed such discussions had been held with them about their relatives care and support needs.

The individualised approach to people’s needs meant that both staff and the registered manager provided a flexible and responsive approach to meeting the care and support needs of people using the service.

People using the service, who we spoke with, told us that their private space such as their bedrooms were respected by staff who asked the persons’ permission before entering.

Staff received regular training in line with their individual roles. Staff spoken with confirmed that the registered manager regularly assessed their work performance and used team meetings and individual supervision sessions to discuss their work and the development of the service.

Systems were in place which assessed and monitored the quality of the service on a consistent basis, including obtaining feedback from people who used the service and their relatives.

Those staff we spoke with were all committed to the ethos of the home and described the value base of the service as one that gave priority to maintaining the health, wellbeing and safety of the people who lived in the home.