We carried out a review of the data available to us about Willowbank Care Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Willowbank Care Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Willowbank Care Limited provides supported living and personal care to adults with a learning
disability. The ethos of the service is to enable people to gain and maintain skills to achieve independent living. People who use the service lived either in individual flats or shared housing. There were 12 bespoke services providing support to 29 people. Some people received 24-hour support made up of individual hours and shared support where they lived in shared housing.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 20 people were receiving support with personal care.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People continued to receive safe care. Staff understood the action to take should they have any concerns about people's safety. The risks associated with people's care had been identified and plans put in place to minimise these. Systems were in place to ensure staff had been recruited safely. The management of medicines was safe.
People continued to receive effective care. People were supported by staff that completed a thorough induction and ongoing training, which had been kept under review. People received help where required to ensure they had enough to eat and drink. People were supported to access health and social care professionals in a timely manner.
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.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People, relatives and health and social care professionals said the staff were kind and caring. People benefited from a small group of regular staff that had got to know them well. Staff spoke positively about their roles and their support of people.
People continued to receive a service that was responsive. People had been involved in developing a plan of care based on their preferences. This was continually kept under review. People were encouraged to live the life they wanted. People had access to activities based on their interests and hobbies.
The service was well led. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People and staff were consulted, and their views of the service were listened to and acted upon.
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 July 2017)
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Willowbank Care Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. 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 the time of the inspection the service employed, a registered manager, deputy manager, senior care staff, house managers and care staff.
Support was provided to assist people in their everyday lives, in areas such as personal care, household tasks and engaging in activities. Support is provided in people's own homes (supported living) and can range from 24 hour care to an agreed number of hours on a daily basis.
People told us they felt safe when receiving care and felt care staff had a good understanding of their needs. There were thorough processes in place to ensure every person who used the service had a detailed care plan that addressed their care needs and any risks to their safety and wellbeing.
Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’ needs and protect them from harm. The service carried out pre-employment checks on staff before they worked with people to assess their suitability.
People spoke highly of the staff that provided their care and people’s relatives were also complimentary of staff. Staff we spoke with demonstrated they were aware of people’s individual needs and understood their preferences.
There was training and support available to staff to ensure they had the skills and knowledge they needed to support people effectively. Staff received supervision and appraisal aimed at improving the care and support they provided. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in supporting people to make their own choices and decisions.
People gave consent before any care was provided. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and gave examples of how they supported people with decisions about their care and daily lives. Where required, legal documentation was in place where others had made decisions on behalf of those people who lacked capacity to do so.
People who used the service were provided with personalised care which was based on their individual needs, wishes and goals. People were fully involved in the development of their care plans and felt their views and opinions about how their care was provided were encouraged. Care records were reviewed with people and they had also been provided with sufficient information about the service.
People received a service that was well-led because the registered manager provided good leadership and management. Systems were in place to check on the standards within the service.
The registered manager had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service that people received. Quality assurance systems involved people who used the service and staff, which helped to ensure they had a say in the development of the service.