Willow House

Updated 4 May 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 was a comprehensive inspection. The inspection took place on 26 March 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed other information we held about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications sent to us by the provider. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We also looked at information in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with three people living at the service, three members of staff and the two registered managers. We reviewed three people's care and support records and three staff files. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service such as incident and accident records, meeting minutes, recruitment and training records, policies, audits and complaints. After the inspection we spoke with two relatives of people using the service and received feedback from a further two relatives. We also received feedback from health professionals who had worked with the service.

Updated 4 May 2018

Willow House provides care, support and accommodation for up to nine adults with a learning disability, many of whom are aged 65 years and over. At the time of our inspection there were eight people living there.

The care service had 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 were two registered managers in post. One of these was also the registered provider. 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. Throughout this report we have referred to the provider and the registered manager as both were present during the inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People living at the service said they felt safe. Staff knew how to protect people from avoidable harm and abuse. Risk assessments had been completed and when risks had been identified, care plans provided clear guidance for staff on how to reduce the risks. Medicines were managed safely.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff said they were trained and supported in their roles. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink.

People living at the service spoke highly of the staff. They said “The staff are nice. The staff are kind” and “Staff are very friendly.” We observed many positive interactions between staff and people. Staff spoke passionately about their roles.

Feedback from relatives was overwhelmingly positive with comments such as “There is a real sense of sensitivity and inclusivity at Willow House” and “There are incredibly close relationships between staff, the managers and the residents.” Health and social care professionals told us “All clients are enabled to lead full lives and all health and social needs are met in a timely fashion. I have no concerns regarding the care provided at Willow House and it is always a pleasure to visit”.

Care plans were person centred and detailed all aspects of people’s choices and preferences for how they wanted to be supported. Health action plans were in place. We saw examples of staff providing additional levels of support, such as staying with people when they were in hospital.

There were robust quality assurance systems in place. Staff spoke highly of the management team and management values. The provider’s values were embedded in the day to day support of people.