Willowcroft 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 did not always feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 65 (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 did not always treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion, or respect their privacy and dignity.

We observed some kind interactions between staff and people living at the service, with some people commenting on some of the staff being kind. However, people were also instructed to wait for care as staff were busy.

One person had asked to go to use the toilet, but were told they had to wait, as staff were not available to get a wheelchair to support the person. This meant the person was not treated with dignity and exposed to being incontinent. The person became distressed as a result.

Another person told us, “I press the button on the wall and they say why have you pressed if it’s only for emergency. They think you fell but how would I be able to press the button if I fell. Staff don’t like you pressing it, and say don’t press it unless it’s emergency.”

This demonstrated people were not always treated kindly or with dignity.

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.

People’s rooms were highly personalised. One person took great pride in showing us their room and spoke of their involvement in choosing the colours and decor. Staff were aware of people’s interests and used this to engage in conversations with people.

One staff member told us, “We have a [person] who asked for a church. I found one nearby and the opening times. Took him once and he enjoyed it. He is not religious, but he really liked it.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff supported people’s independence. During the assessment staff were observed some staff supporting people in ways that demonstrated patience, kindness and gentle encouragement to do the things they could for themselves.

There was an activities coordinator who provided support over all 3 floors at different times of the day. Although people did not have activities available at all times, they enjoyed participating in them when they did.

The provider had completed satisfaction surveys earlier in the year, with people selecting that staff supported them to be independent and make choices around their care.

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Care plans contained information to guide staff on how to support people when they became distressed. However, these plans were not always sufficiently detailed or fully embedded in practice.

We observed people being upset and requiring support from staff. This was often delayed due to staff being busy supporting other people. Frequently, the senior staff carrying out medicine rounds were delayed in doing so, as they were required to support with care and reassurance.

People had sensor alarms on their bedroom doors which made loud noises when the doors were opened. Staff did respond to these; however, they were, constant, loud and distracting.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they felt well supported and listened to by the management team. They felt they worked well together as a team.

One staff member told us, “I feel like if I have concerns or worries even in my own family life [registered manager] is supportive. I get my own time with her through supervisions even though she is busy. It helps us feel more supported as well.”