Archived: The Willows Residential Care Home

Updated 11 February 2016

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 an unannounced inspection visit carried out on the 09 December 2015. The inspection visit was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

Before our inspection on 09 December 2015 we reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who lived at the home. We also checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people living at the home had been received.

During the inspection visit we spoke with four people who lived at the home and three staff members. We also spoke with the registered manager. We had information provided to us from external agencies including the local authority contracts and commissioning team. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at the home.

Part of the inspection was spent looking at records and documentation which contributed to the running of the service. They included two care plans of people who lived at the home, maintenance records, training records and audits for the monitoring of the service. We also spent time observing staff interactions with people who lived at the home.

Updated 11 February 2016

This was an announced inspection visit carried out on 09 December 2015. The reason the inspection visit was announced was to ensure people were available on the day of our visit. Therefore we gave the service 24 hours’ notice.

This is a care home registered for 6 people who have a learning disability. The home is situated close to Cleveleys town centre. There are two floors of the home available for people and it comprises of four single and one double room. En- suite facilities are provided and in addition, bathrooms are available on both floors. At the time of the inspection visit five people lived at the home.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

At the last inspection in April 2014 the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations that were inspected at that time.

During this inspection people were kept safe and free from harm. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. Staff had been safely recruited to ensure people would be supported by suitable personnel.

We observed people’s medicines were dispensed in a safe manner and they received their medicines on time. Staff had received related training to ensure medicines were administered correctly by knowledgeable staff. The registered manager and local pharmacy had carried out checks to ensure processes were completed safely.

People were supported to eat their meals where they chose and were offered a variety of meal options. One person who lived at the home said, “I love the food especially curry.” Risk assessments and other documentation, such as weight charts, were in place to protect individuals from the risk of malnutrition.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The registered manager discussed the applications which had been authorised and the restrictions in place to make sure people were safe. We saw staff were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

Care records for people who lived at the home were personalised to each person’s needs and requirements. Staff regularly completed assessments of people’s needs. These were reviewed and updated to ensure care planning remained responsive to the individual’s ongoing requirements.

People were encouraged to follow their ambitions and individual interests within the community. They included voluntary work, involvement in local adult youth clubs and social preferences.

People who lived at the home were encouraged and supported to maintain relationships with their friends and family members.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included annual satisfaction surveys and regular auditing of the service to monitor the quality of care being provided.