Willowcroft

Updated 23 February 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 10 February 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 23 February 2022

About the service

Willowcroft is a residential care home providing personal care to 60 people at the time of the inspection. 58 people were living at the service at the time of the inspection.

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

Care plans and risk assessments for when people experienced behaviours that challenged needed more detail to help ensure staff provided consistent care.

Other risks regarding people’s health care needs, such as falls and risks from the general environment were assessed and managed. Actions were taken to ensure people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Medicines were managed in line with nationally recognised guidance for safe medicines management. The service was clean, and actions were taken to help prevent and control infections. The registered manager looked to identify any improvements and to learn from when things had gone wrong.

Enough staff were available to ensure people received timely care to meet their needs. The provider completed checks on staff as they were recruited to ensure they were suitable to work at the service.

People’s needs were assessed before they went to live at the service. Assessments covered all aspects of people’s health, care and well-being and reflected the requirements of the Equalities Act. Staff had been trained in areas relevant to people’s needs and their competence was checked. People received food and drink to meet their nutrition and hydration needs. Staff worked with other healthcare professionals to ensure their care needs were met effectively, including support for when people were required to attend hospital appointments. The building met people’s needs and had design features that helped people living with dementia. People’s own bedrooms were personalised to their own tastes.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff had developed warm and caring relationships with people. Staff respected people’s equality and diversity needs. People were supported to be as independent as they could be; staff actively worked with people to promote their independence. People were cared for by staff who respected their privacy and dignity. People and their relatives were involved in expressing views about their care and treatment and the development of the service. These views were respected and listened to.

Staff knew people well and understood how to meet their needs and preferences. People enjoyed how they spent their times at the service and had a variety of activities to be involved in. People’s communication needs were assessed, and information was in care plans on how best to communicate with people. Procedures were in place to ensure any complaints would be investigated and managed. When people required care at the end of their lives, this was planned and personalised.

The registered manager was clear on her role and steps had been identified to strengthen the management support in the service. People, relatives and staff all found the registered manager to be approachable and fair. Audits and checks on the quality and safety of services were in place to help ensure people received quality care. Regular meetings were held so that people and their relatives could contribute their views to the development and running of the service. The service worked well with other professionals and looked to identify learning to contribute towards improving care for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 15 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make some improvements. Please see the safe section of this full report.

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.