Woodlands

Updated 5 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Woodlands is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and 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.

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included notifications, which are information about important events the service is required to send us by law. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection. We also looked at online reviews.

During the inspection-

We spoke with four people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the provider, registered manager, activities coordinator, care workers and the chef. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 5 December 2019

About the service

Woodlands is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 40 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 35 people some of whom were living with dementia. Woodlands is split over three floors with a garden, and enclosed courtyard.

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

People were safe at the home and people and their relatives told us they felt safe. The provider had robust recruitment policies and staff were well trained and confident in their roles. There were enough staff to support people when they needed help. The home was clean, and risks were regularly assessed and minimised. The home had clear safety policies which staff were trained in and which were followed. Trained staff administered medicines according to clear policies. Effective quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality of care.

The décor was dementia friendly and corridors were decorated in themes with input from people that lived at the home. There was space for people to walk about the home easily. People were encouraged to personalise their spaces. A relative told us “Mum thinks of this as her home, she had to go to A&E but she talked about going home [to Woodlands].” People spoke extremely highly of the food. The menus were accessible to all, and the chef was led by people as to what to cook. People told us “I like the food, there’s nothing to complain about here.” And a relative told us “She loves the food, it’s restaurant quality at times. I wouldn’t mind coming here myself.”

Relatives told us that staff were very caring in their attitudes, “I heard staff with mum and they were so patient with her. I was impressed with the care. If everyone was as good as that I’m happy.”

The registered manager was proud of the home and keen to ensure the best individualised care for people. Pre-admission assessments and care plans helped ensure people had person centred care. People’s likes, and dislikes were catered for.

People could choose how to spend their time. There was a dedicated activities coordinator who ensured there were always plenty of things for people to do.

The registered manager was involved in all aspects of the running of the home and provided their team with skilled leadership. They promoted the values of the home and the staff reflected the attitude in their treatment of people. The home was actively involved with the local community, including people in a local dementia choir, hosting a dementia café and having a lunch club that anyone could attend, sharing food and activity time with the people that lived at Woodlands.

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 Good (published 17 November 2016)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.