Archived: The Willows Care Home

On arriving at the service we were informed that the registered manager had gone to a meeting and was not expected to return that day. We spoke with the deputy manager who was therefore in charge of the home at the time.

The deputy manager told us that although she was aware of some aspects of the previous inspection she had not seen a copy of the report. We were also informed that the report was not shared with members of staff. We brought this to the attention of the manager a couple of days later when we returned to the home who printed a copy off for people to read.

While at The Willows we saw people being cared for and supported by staff members in a kind and sensitive way. People living at The Willows seemed to be relaxed with the people caring for them. The staff had a kind manner when they were communicating with people. During our time at The Willows we did not see any activities taking place to occupy people other than watching television.

The care records we looked at were not consistent with the care people were receiving. Monthly evaluations resulted in changes to risk assessments these were not individualised and did not give the information needed to reflect how care workers were caring for people.

Although staff were generally knowledgeable about the needs of people living at the home there was a degree of uncertainty about certain aspects of care. As records were not in place about 'follow up action' we were not able to establish whether an individual's health needs had been met.

The manager was able to demonstrate that the majority of staff had attended training in safeguarding since our previous inspection. Staff could not locate a copy of the local authority's procedures in safeguarding. There was no indication that staff had attended training on the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Improvements have taken place in infection control practices. Further improvements are needed to ensure that commodes are clean and bins are suitable for use. A member of staff with the lead for infection control procedures within the home told us that they would read through the Code of Practice issued by the Department of Health and sort it out.

We carried out some audits of medication to ensure that the balances remaining were correct. There were occasions when stocks did balance however in other cases they did not. We found discrepancies in the number of sachets remaining and in the recorded carry forwards of medication from one medication record to another. We found a box of eye drops stored in the medication trolley when the instructions stated 'store in fridge'.

A new carpet was in place in the main lounge. Wooden flooring on the ground floor was not completed and some areas presented potential hazards. There was no seal onto the skirting board leaving a gap when dirty could build up. Some of the boards in the dining room had lifted leaving a trip hazard and a lip from one bedroom also created a trip hazard.

One cellar continued to contain items such as bedding and other items in refuse bags. This potential fire risk was brought to the attention of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue service.

Improvements had taken place to ensure that the patio area was safe. A portable hoist had received a service as needed to ensure that it was safe to use.

We observed staff throughout the time we were at the home and found them to be kind and caring.

Nobody told us of any concerns they have during our visit although some people felt more staff are needed.

We found that improvements are needed in some areas including record keeping, cleanliness of commodes, the application of creams, some areas of the environment and systems to ensure equipment is maintained.