Willow Lodge

Willow Lodge is a care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 8 people who have experienced a head injury or neurological condition that has affected their mental health. The service specialises in rehabilitation and supporting people with complex needs following a brain injury and/or neurodegenerative conditions. The home is an adapted building covering three floors, which includes two self-contained flats suitable for independent living. At the time of inspection 8 people were living at the service.

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

The home had a recruitment process in place, but this had not always been followed. We have made a recommendation about recruitment practices within the home. The registered manager was responsive to address the shortfalls found within this inspection.

People told us they felt safe at Willow Lodge. One person told us, “I am perfectly safe, it’s perfectly clean and safe and polite, no problem at all.”

Care plans and risk assessments were person centred. Relatives told us staff knew their loved ones well. Comments included, “The staff have been amazing with settling in [Person’s name] and reassuring them and myself that they are safe at Willow Lodge” and, “The support workers go above and beyond, allowing [Person’s name] to visit any places they would like to go and encouraging different places which is great.”

Staff supported people in a kind and compassionate way, considering their dignity and respecting people’s rights. 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.

The culture of the home was open and focused on providing person-centred care. Staff told us they were proud to work at Willow Lodge. One staff member stated, “It is clear that the registered manager has the best interests of everyone and wants the house to work as a team to create a productive and positive culture. I feel as though all staff are there to support those who live there and there is always good energy between us.”

The registered manager worked jointly with health professionals to provide specialist support to people, involving their families and other professionals as appropriate. This helped people achieve increased independence through positive risk taking, setting goals and, where appropriate, to find their own accommodation if they so wished.

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 10 September 2021).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to staffing at night and medicine management. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe section of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Willow Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about recruitment.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

4 Harvey Road is a care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to eight people who have experienced a head injury or neurological condition that has affected their mental health. The service specialises in rehabilitation and supporting people with complex needs following a brain injury and/or neurodegenerative conditions. The home was an adapted building covering three floors, which included two self-contained units suitable for independent living. The premises were in a residential area of Boscombe, Dorset.

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

People told us they felt safe and enjoyed living at 4 Harvey Road. People were relaxed and happy with staff, who knew them very well. Staff treated people with patience, kindness, dignity and respect.

Staff knew how to identify and report abuse and felt supported in their roles. Staff received regular supervision sessions and an annual appraisal, which supported them to carry out their roles competently. People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training to carry out their roles.

Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were detailed, regularly assessed, reviewed and updated. People and their families were given every opportunity to be included and involved in their care and support. People's views were listened to and acted upon wherever possible.

People’s health care needs were met. People’s health needs were complex and ongoing, staff supported them to see specialised healthcare professionals when appropriate. People received effective support that enabled their rehabilitation and supported them to progress to more independent living.

Medicines were managed, stored and administered safely. People were supported to take their medicines safely by staff who had received the necessary training. Where appropriate, staff were encouraging and supporting people to administer their own medicines in preparation for moving on to a more independent living arrangement.

People were supported by safely recruited staff and there were enough appropriately trained and experienced staff to support people in ways that suited them.

People received healthy, nutritious meals which staff supported them to plan and prepare. People's preferences were supported at meal times. People could choose to spend time with others or eat their meal alone if they preferred.

People’s independence was promoted, and they received support and care tailored to their individual needs. 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 supported and encouraged to pursue hobbies and get involved in activities in the wider community. A variety of in-house activities were provided based on people’s interests and choices.

The service worked collaboratively and closely with health care professionals to ensure people received the best care and support. Strong, effective links had been developed with a variety of health and social care professionals that praised the way the service supported people and their specific health needs.

There was a complaints policy which gave clear guidance for all people. People and relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint if they needed to and felt any concerns would be taken seriously and action taken straight away.

There was a clear management structure and people, relatives and staff spoke positively of the registered manager who ensured there was an open, supportive and professional culture at the home.

There was a system of ongoing quality assurance systems in place to drive improvement and ensure the home offered a safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 7/4/2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was the first planned inspection for this service since the service registered with us.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.