The Willow

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated Good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 75 (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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

We observed person-centred care taking place, and staff knew people well, including their likes and dislikes. Staff told us they prepared breakfast depending on what people chose that day.

Care records reflected preferences around meals and bedtime routines, including hobbies and what people liked to speak about. We observed people telling staff what kind of music they liked, and this music was then put on the speaker so they could listen.

People’s relatives told us “I think what really impresses me is that they seem very willing to accept [name] for what [name] is. [They] like gardens and trains and love talking about them.”

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Care was delivered by a stable core team of long-serving staff. The service had not needed to use any agency staff, instead employing a stable bank team who cover staff absence in times of need. This service is newly registered, having been sold to the current provider in May 2024. Relatives told us there was “no change in care standards, in staff, or the way they work.”

Partners told us they felt the service worked cohesively with them to meet people’s care needs. Care plans reflected support from people’s representatives or advocates and showed clear communication between health professionals, relatives and representatives. People’s representatives told us “Staff work different shifts, so you get different personalities but their approach and manner is consistent”. This meant people experienced a continued, consistent approach to their care.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Partners told us they received a good handover of information when visiting the home and “they contacted me promptly when [person] broke a pair of spectacles I’d recently supplied”. Families told us “Whenever we’ve visited so far there’s been a member of staff around who’s brought us up to date on how [name] is settling in.”

The service met the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard and ensured people’s communication needs were known and understood. Easy read menus with pictures of food were available for residents to use if required. The complaints policy and ways to give feedback were available to everyone at the front of the home. This meant that people were able to make choices with reasonable adjustments in place.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

Relatives and people told us they felt listened to and were involved in care planning. This was reflected in care plans. People and their representatives were able to share feedback and complaints in multiple different ways, including at resident’s meetings. People told us they felt the manager was approachable.

People’s representatives and families told us they are involved in decisions about the service, for example, “If they’re thinking to introduce something new then they talk to everyone, like the new CCTV cameras and everything that goes with them [GDPR]”.

This meant that people and their families were able to co-produce with the service and ensure that day-to-day running of the home is person-centred.

The provider made sure that people could access the care and support they needed when they needed it.

There was no evidence of discrimination and people had equitable access to the service. Staff and management worked flexibly around people, accounting for their needs. Partners told us they felt the service was accessible for everyone, and “they are very responsive and collaborate well with us to ensure their residents get their medication on time and accurately.”

Staff have 24-hour access to the management team through their presence and use of on-call rota.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

People experienced positive and equitable experiences and outcomes, which were not limited to their needs. Staff received training on equality and diversity and were confident in their understanding of people’s equality-related needs. Care plans contained information about people’s protected characteristics. Families told us “[Name] is profoundly deaf, but they all know that and how to work with [them]. We wrote a sort of biography when [they] moved in covering [their] hearing and all sorts. They understand [them].”

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

End-of-life care planning was in place, with RESPECT forms (where people’s wishes regarding emergency medical care are recorded when they are unable to express them in the future) and funeral arrangements documented. Wishes were considered, and staff were aware of people’s needs. People received care according to their wishes. One relative told us “[Relative] is now on an end-of-life care path and is gradually fading. Even so, staff are unfailingly cheerful, chat, hold [their] hand or just sit with [them]. [They are] very peaceful.”