Background to this inspection
Updated
20 December 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
Our inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type
Windmill Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service, which included information received about the service since the last inspection. We also checked for feedback we received from members of the public, local authorities and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). We contacted health and social care professionals who work with the service. We checked records held by Companies House, the Information Commissioner’s Office, the fire brigade and the Food Standards Agency.
The provider was asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who lived at the service and observed ten more people’s interactions with staff. We received feedback from two relatives. We observed the dining experiences on two separate floors. We spoke with 10 employees including the regional director, registered manager, a registered nurse, three care workers, the chef, administrator and two activities coordinators.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 10 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment, supervision and performance appraisal. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We received further information from the registered manager.
Updated
20 December 2019
About the service
Windmill Care Centre is a care home which provides accommodation and personal care or nursing care. The service can care for older adults, including people with a living with dementia. The care home accommodates 53 people across three separate floors, each of which has separate adapted facilities. One of the floors specialises in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, 44 people received care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
This inspection found that improvements were made to the safety and quality of care that people received since our last inspection in September 2018.
People received safe care. The management of people’s medicines had improved. Any risks to them were assessed, documented and mitigated to protect against avoidable harm. People were protected against abuse, neglect and discrimination. There were enough staff deployed to ensure people were safe. The premises and equipment were well-maintained, clean and tidy. Accidents and incidents were recorded, people received appropriate support afterwards and the service learnt lessons if things went wrong.
Improvements were made to support staff, ensuring they had the right knowledge, skills and experience. Staff were competently able to provide the support people required. They were provided with frequent training in various topics, which included additional complex skills. There were very good links with community care professionals which ensured people maintained a healthy lifestyle. People received effective support which met their individual needs. A holistic assessment was carried out which included people’s cultural, religious and lifestyle histories. We made recommendations about the staff training in oral hygiene and the publication of food allergens.
People and others said the service was caring. They said staff were kind and able to meet their needs. People had an active role in their care planning and reviews. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained.
Changes to care planning meant they were more detailed and person-centred. The care plans were comprehensive and reviewed regularly with changes as needed. People were encouraged to enjoy themselves and enjoy a broad range of activities. Staff valued people's individual differences and responded in line with their preferences for support. People’s diversity was fully recognised and promoted by the staff; people were supported to follow their faith and culture, and to maintain important family relationships.
The registered manager was knowledgeable, skilled and experienced in their role. There was a good workplace culture. There was a clear focus on continuous improvement and ensuring people could lead their best life possible. The registered manager ensured audits and checks were completed regularly to ensure the safety and quality of people’s care. Improvements were made based on the feedback of people, relatives, staff and others. The quality of the service was further overseen by the provider’s regional management teams.
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.
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 requires improvement (published 13 November 2018).
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.