Willowbank Nursing Home

The home is an extended detached older property which has retained a number of original features and is set in extensive gardens. The home is set in a quiet residential area approximately a mile from Burnley town centre with shops, a post office, public houses and a bus route nearby.

We found the following examples of good practice.

There were clear infection prevention and control procedures which were understood and followed by staff. All staff were trained in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), handwashing techniques and participated in the testing programme. During our visit, staff were wearing appropriate PPE and plentiful supplies were available around the home. We discussed the risks associated with staff travelling to and from work in uniform; the registered manager agreed to re consider this.

There was a good standard of cleanliness in all areas seen. Additional housekeeping staff had been employed and the frequency of cleaning had been increased. There were effective policies, procedures and risk assessments in place to maintain good practice in relation to infection control and to provide safe and kind care.

The provider’s infection prevention and control policies and procedures were up to date and regular audits had been carried out. A Covid-19 Response Plan and business contingency plan were in place and had been reviewed.

People were supported to maintain contact with their relatives in different ways including the use of technology and phone calls. A visiting pod had recently been made available for relatives to visit their family members. We observed this in use and noted there were safe procedures in place to support this. There were health checks in place for essential visitors. We saw evidence these had been carried out but not consistently. We discussed this with the registered manager who had already taken action to address this.

The atmosphere in the home was settled and calm. Staff were attentive and caring towards people and clearly knew what support people needed. People were watching TV and spending time talking to others or staff.

We were assured this service met infection prevention and control guidelines.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Willowbank Nursing Home provides accommodation and nursing and personal care for up to 53 people who are living with a dementia or mental ill health. There were 52 people living in the home at the time of the inspection.

Willowbank Nursing Home is an extended detached older property which has retained a number of original features. The home is set in a quiet residential area approximately a mile from Burnley town centre with shops, a post office, public houses and a bus route nearby. The home is set in 1.5 acres of gardens.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were happy with the care and support they received and with the way the home was managed. They made positive comments about the registered manager and the staff team. The registered manager considered people’s views about the quality of care provided and used their feedback to make improvements to the service. All aspects of the quality of the service were monitored and appropriate action was taken to improve the service when needed. Lessons learned were discussed at management and staff meetings.

People felt safe and we observed staff being kind and patient. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People received their medicines when they needed them and were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

Recruitment processes ensured new staff were suitable to work in the home. There were enough numbers of staff to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. All staff received appropriate training, supervision and support. Staff enjoyed working in the home and felt valued and supported.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's care needs were assessed prior to them living in the home.

People enjoyed the meals and were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet. People had access to various healthcare professionals, when needed. People were happy with their bedrooms and with the communal areas. A development plan was in place to ensure ongoing refurbishment and redecoration.

Staff treated people with dignity, respect, care and kindness and knew people well. We observed positive and caring interactions between staff and people who lived in the home. Staff spoke with people in a friendly and patient manner and we overheard laughter and friendly banter. Staff knew about people’s routines and preferences to ensure they received the care they needed and wanted. People or their relatives, where appropriate, had been involved in discussions about care needs.

People enjoyed a range of appropriate activities and entertainments and links with local community groups had been developed to enhance people’s lives. People were supported to maintain contact with their friends and family. People could raise any complaints or concerns if they needed to and had access to a complaint’s procedure.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Willowbank Nursing Home provides accommodation and nursing and personal care for up to 53 people who are living with a dementia or mental ill health. There were 48 people accommodated in the home at the time of the inspection.

Willowbank Nursing Home is an extended detached older property which has retained a number of original features. The home is set in a quiet residential area approximately a mile from Burnley town centre with shops, a post office, public houses and a bus route nearby. The home is set in 1.5 acres of attractive gardens.

The service was managed by a registered manager. 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.

At our last inspection on 12 and 13 November 2014 we found the service was meeting all the standards assessed. During this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

People told us they felt safe and staff were caring. Safeguarding adults' procedures were in place and staff understood how to safeguard people from abuse. The registered manager and staff were observed to have positive relationships with people living in the home. People were relaxed in the company of staff and there were no restrictions placed on visiting times for friends and relatives.

Appropriate Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DOLS) applications had been made to the local authority and people's mental capacity to make their own decisions had been assessed and recorded in line the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Each person had a care plan that was sufficiently detailed to ensure they were at the centre of their care. People’s care and support was kept under review and, where appropriate, they were involved in decisions about their care. Risks to people’s health and safety had been identified, assessed and managed safely. Relevant health and social care professionals provided advice and support when people’s needs changed.

People considered there were enough suitably skilled staff to support them when they needed any help and they received support in a timely and unhurried way. The manager followed a robust recruitment procedure to ensure new staff were suitable to care for vulnerable people and arrangements were in place to make sure staff were trained and supervised.

Medicines were managed safely and people had their medicines when they needed them. Staff administering medicines had been trained and supervised to do this safely.

Appropriate aids and adaptations had been provided to help maintain people’s safety, independence and comfort. Some people had arranged their bedrooms as they wished and had brought personal possessions with them to maintain the homeliness.

Activities were appropriate to individual needs and people were happy to participate in activities both inside and outside the home. There were designated staff who were employed specifically for this role. People told us they enjoyed the meals and had been involved in developing the menu. They were provided with a nutritionally balanced diet that catered for their dietary needs and preferences.

People were encouraged to be involved in the running of the home and were kept up to date with any changes. People were aware of how to raise their concerns and were confident they would be listened to. Action had been taken to respond to people’s concerns and suggestions.

People considered the service was managed well. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to ensure people received a good service that supported their health, welfare and well-being.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

People were involved in discussions and decisions about the activities they would prefer and excursions and activities were arranged for small groups of people or on a one to one basis. Comments included, "I've been out in the garden; I enjoy the fresh air", "I like the entertainers", "I enjoy chatting to the staff" and "Staff take me to the shops". We found people's activities were tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

Most of the care staff had achieved a recognised qualification in care, which would help them to look after people properly. Staff were observed interacting with people in a kind, pleasant and friendly manner and being respectful of people's choices and opinions. People made positive comments about the staff team. Comments included, "They are good staff", "Staff are always kind" and "The staff are kind and caring". Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received and to identify, assess and manage risks to people's health, safety and welfare.

We found there was a system to report and record any incidents, accidents or injuries. However we found some of the incidents had not been recorded, investigated or reported in line with the procedures. We also found the system to monitor incidents had been ineffective.

We looked at the safeguarding adults and whistleblowing (reporting poor practice) procedures. We spoke with four staff who were aware of the correct procedures and told us they would report any poor practice. We found evidence staff had reported their concerns. However the manager had not shared the information with the appropriate agencies. This could have placed people at risk of abuse and was not in line with local safeguarding procedures.

Following our visit we shared our findings with the provider and the local authority. The provider was asked to send us an action plan to advise how systems would be improved to ensure people were protected against the risk of abuse.

During our visit we observed staff treating people in a friendly and respectful way. We observed people being offered choices and being supported in a way that respected their privacy and encouraged their independence. People made positive comments about the staff team. They said, 'Staff are lovely; they are very patient' and 'Staff are alright'. We found all staff received a range of appropriate training to keep them up to date and to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to look after people safely and properly.

People told us they had no complaints about the service but would raise their concerns with the staff or managers. Comments included, 'I would tell the staff if I was unhappy', 'I have no problems at all' and, 'They listen to us, I know they would sort things out if I needed'.