Archived: Willow Brook Care Home

Willow Brook Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 26 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Willow Brook Care Home accommodates up to 49 people in one adapted building.

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

People spoke positively about the staff who supported them. People said staff treated them with respect, and relatives confirmed this. People said they were involved in discussing their care and support. Relatives felt informed about their family member’s care. Staff respected people's right to confidentiality.

People and their relatives felt the service was safe. Staff understood how to recognise and report concerns or abuse. People’s needs were assessed, and any risks associated with health conditions documented and reviewed regularly. Risks associated with the service environment were assessed and mitigated. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People received their prescribed medicines safely. People were protected from the risk of infections. Accidents and incidents were reviewed and monitored to identify trends and to prevent reoccurrences.

People's needs and choices were assessed in line with current legislation and guidance in a way that helped to prevent discrimination. People were supported to have a varied diet that gave them enough to eat and drink. People were supported by staff to access healthcare services. The provider had taken steps to ensure the environment was suitable for people's needs. 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.

People and relatives were positive about the support they had to take part in activities. People’s care was reviewed regularly with them and their relatives, and care plans were updated to reflect any changing needs. The provider had a system in place to respond to complaints and concerns.

People and relatives felt the service was well-led. Staff felt supported in their work, and there was a positive team attitude. The registered manager and provider understood their roles and responsibilities in relation to managing a registered care home. People said they felt involved in the home life and what went on there. Staff had developed links to other resources in the community to support people's needs and preferences.

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 (report published 31 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.

Accommodation for up to 49 people is provided in the service. The service is designed to meet the needs of older people living with or without dementia. There were 33 people using the service at the time of our inspection.

A registered manager was in post and was available throughout the inspection. 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.

Staff knew how to keep people safe and understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risks were managed so that people were protected from avoidable harm and not unnecessarily restricted, though the completion of documentation to demonstrate that the risk of skin damage had been managed could be improved.

Sufficient staff were on duty to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited through safe recruitment practices. Medicines were safely managed, though the completion of cream chart documentation could be improved.

Staff received appropriate induction, training, supervision and appraisal. People’s rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People received sufficient to eat and drink, though the completion of food chart documentation could be improved. External professionals were involved in people’s care as appropriate. The environment could be improved to better support people living with dementia.

Staff were kind and knew people well. People and their relatives were involved in decisions about their care. Advocacy information was made available to people.

People received care that respected their privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. Care records contained information to support staff to meet people’s individual needs, though activities could be further improved so that more people could access activities outside the home.

Complaints were handled appropriately. A complaints process was in place and staff knew how to respond to complaints.

People and their relatives were involved or had opportunities to be involved in the development of the service. Staff told us they would be confident in raising any concerns with the management team and that appropriate action would be taken.

The provider was meeting their regulatory responsibilities. There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.