Woodlands

Updated 21 April 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 31 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 21 April 2021

About the service:

Woodlands 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. Woodlands can accommodate a maximum of 40 older people in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 37 people living at the home, some of whom were living with dementia.

The home had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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’s experience of using this service:

People received exceptionally high quality care from staff who were passionate about delivering personalised care in a dignified and respectful way.

Without exception everyone we spoke with told us staff were professional, compassionate and caring.

The provider’s philosophy of care placed people at the heart of the service. People and their families’ experience of care and wellbeing was enhanced by staff who had fully embraced this philosophy and frequently went above and beyond what was expected of them.

The home was extremely well led by a management team who had a clear, positive and open culture, which encouraged engaged and feedback from people, their families and staff.

Without exception family members were extremely positive regarding the care and support they and their relatives received at the end of their life.

People received care and support in a home that was safe. Risks related to their healthcare needs and the environment, the management of their medicines and infection control were all managed safely. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people and knew what action to take if they had any concerns.

There was enough staff to meet people’s needs and ensure they had enough time to engage with people in a sociable and unhurried way.

People were cared for by staff who felt supported by their managers and had received training focused on the needs of the people they were supporting.

People’s rights and freedoms were upheld. Staff acted in the best interests of the people they supported. People were empowered to make their own choices and decisions, and were involved in the development of their personalised care plans.

People were supported to live healthier lives; they were supported to have regular access to healthcare professionals; and their nutritional and hydration needs were met.

The provider was fully engaged in the running of the home and there were effective management processes in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service.

The provider and senior managers were fully committed to working with other organisations in the development of high quality care within the home and sharing ideas and best practice.

The home has been rated Outstanding overall as it met the characteristics for this rating in two of the five key questions. More information is in the full report, which is on the CQC website at: www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: The home was rated as outstanding at their last full comprehensive inspection, the report was published on 9 November 2016.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous inspection rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about this service and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated as outstanding.