Archived: Willow Court

Updated 16 January 2026

Date of assessment: 26 January to 9 February 2026

Willow Court is a residential care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 54 people, including people living with dementia.

People received caring and compassionate support from staff who knew them well and treated them with kindness. People and their relatives said staff were respectful and promoted choice and independence. Activities and community involvement were a strong feature of the service, and people had regular opportunities to take part in things that were meaningful to them.

The service had made improvements since the new manager had taken up post, and staff described a more positive culture with better communication. Governance systems had begun to strengthen, and audits were being completed more regularly, although these were still developing and were not yet fully effective. Some care plans needed further improvement to ensure they were clear and included all relevant information. Staff also needed to strengthen their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Accessible Information Standard to ensure requirements were consistently met.

Staffing levels were generally safe, and staff worked together to support people well, although some staff told us there were times when staffing felt stretched, particularly when people required higher levels of support. Although training was provided to support staff in their roles, some staff told us they would benefit from further training to help them feel more confident when supporting people who were distressed.

People usually received timely responses when their needs changed, and staff worked with external professionals to support people’s health and wellbeing. However, improvements were needed to ensure people and their relatives were consistently involved in reviewing risks and planning their care.

Leaders were visible, and staff told us they felt supported and valued. The management team had started to implement systems that helped drive improvement, and staff said communication across the service had improved. Further work was needed to ensure governance arrangements were fully embedded so that improvements continued to develop and were sustained over time.

Updated 16 January 2026

People told us they were happy with the care they received and said staff were kind, caring and respectful. Many people said they felt safe and well supported in their daily routines and described positive relationships with staff.

Relatives told us their family members were comfortable in the home and staff kept them informed about changes in health or wellbeing. People enjoyed a wide range of activities and valued the opportunities to stay connected with the community. They said they had choices about how they spent their time and felt able to express their wishes.

Some people raised concerns about how quickly staff could respond when the home was busy and said reviews of care plans had not always taken place when expected. A small number of relatives said they were not always clear about how issues they raised had been followed up. Despite this, most people and relatives told us they felt listened to and were confident that staff worked hard to support them well.

Overall, people experienced caring and personalised support, and recent improvements in communication and organisation had helped strengthen their experience of the service.