We carried out a review of the data available to us about Woodlands House on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Woodlands House, you can give feedback on this service.
Woodlands House is a care home providing nursing and personal care to 60 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 72 people across five wings, each with their own adapted facilities. Most people residing at the care home are living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service
People told us they were happy with the standard of care and support they received at Woodlands House.
People were kept safe and protected against the risk of avoidable harm and abuse. People were cared for and supported by staff who knew how to manage risks they might face.
The provider recognised the importance of learning lessons when things went wrong and were keen to continuously improve the service. The quality and safety of the service people received was routinely monitored and analysed by the services management team. For example, managers were aware that not all staff had received up to date training and we saw a time specific action plan was already in place to address these gaps. Progress made by the provider to achieve this stated aim will be closely monitored by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The premises were kept hygienically clean and staff followed current best practice guidelines regarding the prevention and control of infection including those associated with COVID-19. Medicines systems were well-organised, and people received their prescribed medicines as and when they should. The service was adequately staffed by people whose suitability and fitness to work in an adult social care setting had been properly assessed.
The provider promoted an open and inclusive culture which sought the views of people living in the care home, their relatives, community health and social care professionals and staff working there. The provider worked in close partnership with various community health and social care professionals and agencies to plan and deliver people’s packages of care and support.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at the last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 19 August 2019). The overall rating for the service remains good based on the findings at this inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted in part due to concerns we had received in relation to an increase in the number of incidents of falls. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led.
We did not inspect the key questions of effective, caring and responsive. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.
We found the following examples of good practice:
The home was clean throughout. Cleaning schedules had been increased to ensure that specific areas identified as high risk of transmission of the virus, such as light switches and other touch points, were cleaned hourly. The home had added domestic shifts throughout each day to ensure there was enough staff to undertake the additional cleaning.
People who use the service who were required to isolate were supported by a consistent staff team. Staff working with people required to isolate also took into account their social needs and need for stimulating activities, and ensured they spent quality one-to-one time with each person. People were supported to maintain contact with their loved ones through video calls, window visits and additional lateral flow testing for visitors of people who were being cared for at the end of their life. Lateral flow tests for coronavirus return a result in 15 minutes and reduce the risk of a visitor bringing the virus into the home.
Staff and people who lived at the home participated in regular testing programmes and were required to isolate should they return a positive test. Care and domestic staff were assigned to work exclusively in one unit of the home to reduce the risk of transmission. The registered manager ensured staff break times were staggered to ensure staff could maintain adequate distance while taking their breaks. Some communal areas of the home had been transformed into staff break rooms to provide space for this to occur.
There was enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available at the home and we observed care and domestic staff wearing it according to government guidance. Staff had undergone enhanced training in infection control and the home had appointed an infection control lead and two infection control champions within the staff team to promote appropriate infection control practices and support staff.
There was appropriate and clear signage throughout the home to remind staff and visitors to wear PPE and maintain distance, and to ensure that all staff, visitors and people who use the service were aware of people who were required to isolate. The home was well ventilated when we visited.
The registered manager told us they received good support from the provider organisation, the local authority and the CCG. The registered manager and provider organisation ensured that staff and people who lived at the home were provided with emotional and practical support to assist them through the ramifications of the coronavirus outbreak.
Woodlands House is a residential home providing nursing and/or personal care to 49 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can accommodate and support up to 64 people in a single building compromising of five separate wings, each with their own separate adapted facilities. The service specialises in providing care and support to mainly older people living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service
At the last inspection the service was rated good overall, but requires improvement for the one key question, ‘Is the service responsive?’ This was because people were not always supported to take part in social and physical activities that reflected their interests and needs. At this inspection we found the new provider had made improvements to the way the service planned and organised social activities for people living in the care home. The rating for this key question has therefore improved from requires improvement to good.
People lived in a suitably adapted and reasonably well decorated care home that met their needs. However, we found signage to help people identify rooms that were important to them was either missing or inconsistently used throughout the various units. We discussed this communication issue with the senior managers at the time of our inspection who advised us the new provider planned to use easy to understand pictorial signage and dementia friendly memory boxes as part of their agreed programme to completely refurbish the care home by the end of 2019. Progress made by the provider to achieve this stated aim will be assessed at their next inspection.
People remained positive about the quality of the care and support they received from this service. People typically described the care home and the staff who worked there as 'good'. This was summed up by one person who told us, “I think this is a lovely place to live. The managers and staff are all fabulous.”
People were cared for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Sufficient numbers of staff whose suitability to work in a residential care home for people living with dementia had been checked. The premises were clean and staff followed relevant national guidelines regarding the prevention and control of infection.
People continued to receive care and support from well-trained and supported staff. 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 were offered well-balanced meals that meet their dietary needs and wishes, and were supported to stay healthy and well.
People continued to be cared for and supported by staff who were kind and compassionate. People were treated equally and had their human rights and diversity respected. People were encouraged to make decisions about the care and support they received and have their choices respected. People's privacy was respected and their dignity maintained. People were supported to be as independent as they could and wanted to be.
People received personalised care that was tailored to their individual needs and wishes. People’s communication needs and preferences continued to be respected and met. People were aware of the providers’ complaints policy and how to raise any concerns or complaints they may have. When people were nearing the end of their life, they continued to receive compassionate and supportive palliative care.
People, their relatives and staff all spoke positively about the leadership approach of the registered manager. The provider involved people and staff in the running of the care home. The provider was keen to continuously improve the service and recognised the importance of learning lessons when things went wrong. The provider worked in close partnership with community professionals and groups.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at the last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 8 June 2017). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. This service was reregistered with us on 4 April 2019 and therefore this inspection represents their first. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out in part to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection of this service.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woodlands House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.