Willow House

Updated 22 September 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on the 07 August 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

As part of the inspection process we looked at information we already held about the provider. Providers are required to notify the Care Quality Commission about specific events and incidents that occur including serious injuries to people receiving care and any incidences that put people at risk of harm. We refer to these as notifications. We checked if the provider had sent us notifications in order to plan the areas we wanted to focus on during our inspection. We also contacted local authorities who provide funding for people to ask them for information about the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent organisation that champions the needs of people that use health and social care services. This helped us to plan the inspection.

During our inspection we met and spoke with five people who lived at the home. One person was away from the service on the day of the inspection visiting relatives. We also made general observations around the home. Due to People’s specific conditions very few people who used the service were able to speak with us, we therefore observed the interactions between people and support workers to contribute to our inspection findings. We also 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 spoke to two team leader, two support staff, the operations manager and the registered manager. We looked at records relating to the management of the service including care plans for two people, the incident and accident records, three staff recruitment records, Medicine Administration Records (MAR). We also looked at records which supported the provider to monitor the quality, management and safety of the service including health and safety audits, accidents and incidents records and compliments and complaints.

Updated 22 September 2018

We carried out this unannounced inspection on the 07 August 2018. At the last inspection carried out on the 19 January 2017 we found that the provider was not meeting all of the legal requirements. We identified that the provider did not have effective system in place to manage risks and drive up improvements. We found a breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We rated the service as requires improvement. At this inspection we found that the provider had made the required improvements and were no longer in breach of this regulation.

Willow House 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. Willow House provides care and support for a maximum of six people who are living with a learning disability, autism or mental health conditions. There were six people living at the home at the time of the inspection.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were supported for by staff who were trained in recognising and understanding how to report potential abuse. Staff knew how to raise any concerns about people’s safety and shared information so that people’s safety needs were met.

People were protected from risks associated with their health and care needs because risk assessments and associated care plans were developed, reviewed and monitored. This ensured that people received the support they required to remain safe. Staff were aware of the risks to people when supporting them in and outside of the home in order to promote people’s safety in the community.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had the knowledge and skills they required to care for people safely and effectively. People’s dignity was maintained and people were communicated with in their preferred way.

Staff understood the importance of ensuring people agreed to the care and support they provided and when to involve others to help people make important decisions. The provider was aware of their responsibilities in regard to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People were supported to enjoy a wide range of activities and were involved in their day to day care and chose how to spend their day. People were encouraged to maintain their independence and live active and fulfilling lives and were supported to meet religious and cultural needs.

Staff were caring and treated people with respect. We saw people were relaxed around the staff supporting them. It was evident that people had developed positive relationships with staff and there was a friendly and calm atmosphere within the home.

People received support from staff to take their prescribed medicines as and when required. Systems and processes were in place to ensure medicines were managed safely. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to infection control and promoting a hygienic environment for people to live in.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet that met people’s cultural and dietary needs. People were supported to maintain all their health needs.

Systems and processes were in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service. Staff and relatives told us the home was well managed and the registered manager was supportive.