Willow Gardens Care Home

Updated 10 April 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Willow Gardens Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We reviewed information we held about the service, such as the previous inspection report.

The law requires providers to notify us of certain events that happen during the running of a service. We reviewed notifications received since the last inspection.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people living at Willow Gardens Care Home, six relatives, four staff and the registered manager.

We spent time sitting with people in communal areas and observed how staff interacted with them.

We looked at a range of records, including care plans for three people, medicines records, recruitment records for five staff and audits.

After the inspection

We received written feedback from eight further visitors who were relatives or volunteers.

Updated 10 April 2020

About the service

Willow Gardens Care Home is a residential care home located in Hampshire Lakes, which is a retirement village, consisting of houses, flats and communal facilities. The care home was providing accommodation and personal care to 32 people at the time of the inspection but can support up to 36 people. The home was on the second floor of the building and was accessed by a lift or stairs.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The provider had policies and procedures in place designed to protect people from the risk of suffering harm and abuse. Risk assessments were in place which identified possible risks to people living at the home. The provider had processes in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. People’s needs were met by suitable numbers of staff who had appropriate training.

People’s needs were assessed before they were offered a room in the home. People were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs. Staff ensured people had access to healthcare professionals when necessary. People received their medicines as prescribed.

People, relatives and visitors told us the staff who supported people were kind and caring. People expressed their views and were involved in making everyday decisions about their care. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted independence.

People had care plans in place which detailed their needs, preferences, interests and social histories. People and visitors told us there were a lot of activities offered. The provider had a complaints procedure in place. Where people received end of life care, this was based on best practice and personal preferences.

The registered manager and provider ensured there was a person-centred, open and inclusive environment for people to live and staff to work. There was a clear leadership structure in place which included the registered manager and senior staff team. The registered manager had a quality assurance system in place

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 11 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.