Woodstock Care Home Limited

Updated 19 October 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 5 and 6 September 2018. The first day was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Prior to this inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included important events the service has to tell us about by law, previous inspection reports, any information we received from the general public about the service and the provider’s Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a document completed by the provider that tells us what they feel they do well and what improvements they plan to make to the service.

During this inspection, we spoke with three people who lived in Woodstock Care Home and four visiting friends or relatives to gain their feedback about the quality of care provided. Six staff who worked in the home were also spoken with which included care, maintenance, activities and kitchen staff as well as the deputy and registered manager. On 6 September 2018, we had conversations with the Health and Safety and Quality and Compliance managers who both represented the provider. We also conducted observations during the inspection visit to see how staff provided people with care and interacted with them.

The records we viewed included four people’s care records, three staff training and recruitment records and other information in relation to how the provider and registered manager monitor the quality of care people received.

Updated 19 October 2018

This inspection took place on 5 and 6 September 2018. The first day was unannounced.

Woodstock Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Woodstock Care Home accommodates up to 28 people. Care is provided over one floor. There are communal areas that people can reside in along with space for dining. There is a pleasant garden area that people can access. At the time of our inspection visit, 26 people were living in the home most of whom were living with dementia.

A registered manager worked in the home. 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.

At the last inspection of Woodstock Care Home in January 2016, we rated the quality of care as Good. At this inspection we have continued to rate the home overall as Good.

Why the service is rated Good:

People were supported and cared for by staff who were very kind and compassionate and who knew people very well. People were treated as individuals and with dignity and respect. They had choice and control over their care.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and to spend time with them to provide them with stimulation. A variety of activities were provided to enhance people’s wellbeing.

People received their medicines when they needed them and the home and equipment that people used was clean. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and the staff were in the main, well trained and knowledgeable.

People’s consent had been sought in line with the relevant legislation and they were supported with kindness and compassion at the end of their lives. People received enough food and drink to meet their needs and had access to the relevant healthcare professionals when required.

Good leadership was in place. People, relatives and staff felt valued and there was an open culture where concerns could be raised without fear. These were listened to and dealt with in a timely manner.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided to people. The provider and registered manager strived to continuously improve the quality of care through several methods including the use of regular audits, the introduction of technology and the sharing of lessons learnt as a result of incidents, accidents or complaints.

Excellent links with the community had been formed for the benefit of people living in the home and plans were in place to develop these further.

However, during the inspection visit we did find that some areas required improvement within the key question of Is the service safe? This was because a risk to people’s safety in relation to the storage of toiletries and prescribed creams had not been adequately assessed and therefore managed appropriately and some staff used poor practice when supporting people to move. The registered manager agreed to act to reduce any immediate risks to people’s safety in relation to these areas.

We have made one recommendation which is for the registered manager and provider to become familiar with the Accessible Information Standard. This is a standard that is in place to improve how care services provide people with information where they require support with their communication needs.