Willow Tree Lodge

Willow Tree Lodge is a care home for older people, some of whom were living with a dementia related condition. They provide personal care for up to 30 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection there were 27 people living in the home.

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

There were enough staff available to support people. The environment was clean and homely, and people had access to appropriate equipment where needed, which meant people were safe from harm. Quality assurance processes were robust and risks to people and the environment were managed safely. Medicines were administered safely and as prescribed. Records confirmed people received their medications as prescribed and audits were completed to ensure that systems were followed.

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 received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. They received regular supervision to help develop their skills and support them in their role. The home was decorated in homely way and people's bedrooms were highly personalised. People were encouraged to bring things with them to make them more comfortable.

The registered manager and staff provided a family orientated and homely environment for people. Staff had developed very positive relationships with people and knew them well. People, their relatives and external health and social care professionals overwhelmingly told us that the staff were caring and supported them to feel included. One person said, “The staff are the best I have ever come across. They always have time for me.” People were offered choices. For example, in the meals and drinks they were offered. Staff respected people's rights to privacy and dignity.

People and their families were involved in the development of personalised care plans that were reviewed regularly. People were offered and took part in a range of meaningful activities. Staff used positive communication techniques with people so that they felt listened to and valued according to their individual needs. The home supported people to receive appropriate end of life care. There was a complaints process that people could follow if they needed to. However, people, their families and external professionals were all very positive about the service provided.

The provider and registered manager had robust systems and processes to monitor quality within the home. The registered manager understood their regulatory responsibilities and shared information with stakeholders in a timely way. People, their families, staff and external professionals all told us that the registered manager and provider were very supportive, and the home was well led.

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 16 November 2016).

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.

We last visited the service on 18 December 2013 where we found the provider was meeting all the regulations we inspected against.

Willow Tree Lodge is a purpose built care home for older people, some of whom have a dementia related condition. There were 27 people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in place. 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. The registered manager was supported by the general manager.

We found that staff were exceptionally caring. We observed kind, caring and thoughtful interactions between staff and people. Staff were highly motivated and committed and spoke with pride about the importance of ensuring people’s needs were held in the forefront of everything they did. People, relatives and staff were able to give numerous examples about how staff went “above and beyond” to meet people’s needs.

The service had a strong, visible, person centred culture which was evident through the actions of the provider, manager and staff.

People told us that they felt safe at the service. There were no ongoing safeguarding concerns. Medicines were administered safely.

Checks were carried out to ensure that applicants were suitable to work with vulnerable people. This included obtaining written references and a Disclosure and Barring Service check [DBS]. There were sufficient staff deployed. Staff carried out their duties in a calm unhurried manner.

Staff told us, and records confirmed that training was available. There was an appraisal and supervision system in place.

Staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s nutritional needs were met and they had access to a range of healthcare services.

An activities programme was in place to help meet people's social needs.

There was a complaints procedure in place. No complaints had been received in the last 12 months. None of the people or relatives with whom we spoke raised any complaints about the service.

Audits and checks were carried out to monitor the service. Our observations and findings on the day of our inspection confirmed that the provider had an effective quality monitoring system in place.

Staff were very positive about working for the provider. They said they felt valued and enjoyed working at the home. We observed that this positivity was reflected in the care and support which staff provided.

The provider had submitted notifications to CQC in a timely manner. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to tell us about. The submission of notifications is a requirement of the law. They enable us to monitor any trends or concerns within the service.

We saw that people had an individual plan of care that included their needs and personal preferences and detailed people's physical and emotional healthcare requirements. Risks to people's safety were assessed and plans to reduce and monitor risks to both people using the service and others were recorded.

People were protected from the risk of infection by a staff team who followed best practice procedures.

In order to meet individual needs, staff worked with a variety of healthcare professionals including a visiting chiropodist and nurses from the community team. We were able to speak with a member of the community care service who told us; "People here are very well cared for, it's a really lovely place."

We saw there was a caring and experienced staff team who were well supported and trained to carry out their duties safely and effectively. One member of staff told us; "I love working here, everyone works as a team and we help each other".

Service quality audits were carried out at regular intervals to ensure the home was kept under review. Records showed us that families and professionals involved in people's care were consulted. Outcomes from the last audit were positive.