Woodlands Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 85 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Throughout the inspection we received positive feedback from people, relatives and external professionals. We observed staff interacting with people and found they treated people with respect, kindness and understanding. Staff knew people extremely well and took account of people’s individual needs and preferences, while supporting them in a dignified way. People and relatives told us staff were amenable and open to ideas. One person was in the process of moving from their bungalow to the care home due to deterioration in their condition. Their relative said, “I have been told they [staff] are going to buddy [family member] up with someone when they move over [to the care home] completely.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. We saw care plans and guidance provided to staff gave information about each person and how they expressed their choices. This enabled staff, particularly new staff, to become familiar with how to support people in the way they preferred. One relative said, “I expressed my concern to 1 of [family member’s] carers a few weeks ago as I found out [family member] wasn’t using the shower in the bungalow and relied on strip washes. [Family member] has a real fear of showers. [Staff] have now arranged for [family member] to use the bath in the care home every week and [family member] loves it.”

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People had access to a varied programme of social activities. People were happy with the social activities available and had been involved in planning them around their preferences. People living in the onsite bungalows were welcome to take part in any activities and outings taking place at the care home. The registered manager was in the process of improving activities even further and wanted activities to be of a high quality. The registered manager said, “Painting might just involve 3 people all day, but it’s quality and other things will be happening for other people. It is important that activities are meaningful.” One person who lived in a bungalow used to teach embroidery and had been supported to set up a craft group in the care home. The registered manager told us they were really excited about showing people their craft. One healthcare professional said, “The bungalows seem to be encouraged to live as independently as possible with a regular carer in and out of the people’s bungalows allthe time.” One relative said, “They Woodlands Care Home have a minibus which is shared with another care home they own and they do some good trips out for people. Shopping; visits to parks or garden centres for lunch or just coffee; the cinema; supermarkets or just a ride out sometimes.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. One external professional said, “Carers really do look out for people and raise concerns with us if they need to.” One relative said, “One of the carers noticed [family member] was very red in the face and called [the doctor]. [Family member] got the treatment they needed quickly and was ok.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff had access to a staff handbook which included the providers policies and procedures. Staff had opportunities to progress within the organisation if they had a desire to. Staff retention was good and staff enjoyed working at the home and felt valued. Staff birthdays were celebrated, for example 1 member of staff was celebrating a special birthday, and everyone had planned to have a pizza day to celebrate. The provider had staff member of the month awards in recognition of good work.