Background to this inspection
Updated
24 January 2023
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.
Service and service type
The Willows is a care home registered for 6 people who have a learning disability. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection. The inspection activity started 15 December 2022 and ended on the 17 December 2022. We visited the service on the 15 December 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 4 people who used the service, 3 staff members and the registered manager. We looked at a range of records. This included 2 people’s care records, 2 staff recruitment files, training records, and audits of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the manager to validate evidence found. We looked at their quality assurance systems and training records for staff.
Updated
24 January 2023
About the service
The Willows is a care home registered for 6 people who have a learning disability. The home is situated close to Cleveleys town centre. There are two floors of the home available for people. En- suite facilities are provided and in addition, bathrooms are available. At the time of the inspection there were 6 people who lived at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
Right Support:
The service supported people to have choices and promoted their independence. Recruitment systems were in place. However, systems for staff employment needed to be more robust to ensure all checks were completed and suitable staff were employed. We have made a recommendation about this. People were supported to pursue their interests and to achieve their aspirations and goals. People were encouraged to have maximum choice and control of their lives and their staff helped them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s medication was managed by staff who had received medication training to ensure safe processes were in place.
People's needs were assessed, and care plans were developed to promote positive risk taking. A recent fire at the home resulted in a refurbishment programme in which people were consulted on the new surroundings. One person said, “Its lovely now it’s done up.”
Right Care:
People received kind and compassionate care from staff. The registered manager and staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. They had training on how to recognise and report abuse which was regularly updated. There were sufficient skilled staff to meet people’s needs and encourage them to develop their life skills and independence. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks and live an independent life as possible.
Right Culture:
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the registered manager and staff. Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate. The management team and staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised, so people received support based on transparency and respect.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The service was rated good on 05/10/2018
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for, The Willows on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.