We carried out a review of the data available to us about Woodside on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Woodside, you can give feedback on this service.
Woodside is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to up to 11 people. The service provides support to people who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection there were 11 people using the service.
The care home is made up of 1 large house which accommodates 8 people and 3 self-contained flats for people who prefer to live on their own.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
Right Support
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.
People lived in a residential area of Minehead. This enabled them to easily use community facilities such as shops and cafes.
Staff supported people safely with their medicines. Staff worked with other professionals to avoid people taking unnecessary medicines.
People were supported to take part in activities which interested them and maintain contact with friends and family.
Right Care
People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. Staff knew how to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse. This helped to keep people safe.
Risk assessments were carried out to promote people’s safety and wellbeing. Staff worked with other professionals to make sure people received the care and support they needed.
People were supported by adequate numbers of experienced and well-trained staff.
Right Culture
The registered manager led by example to make sure people received care which was personalised to the individual and was in accordance with their wishes.
Staff knew and understood people extremely well and were responsive, supporting them to live a quality life of their choosing. Everyone was cared for and valued as the individual they were.
People were cared for by staff who felt well supported and were highly motivated to provide good quality care and support.
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 requires improvement (published 22 April 2021)
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
We carried out an announced focused inspection of this service on 28 January 2021. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woodside on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Woodside is a residential care home registered to provide personal care for up to 11 people with a learning disability and/or autism. The property is a large detached house with three adjoining self-contained flats. It provides long and short-term residential care. At the time we visited, nine people lived there, and one person was staying for a short respite stay.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People, relatives and professionals all gave us positive feedback about the service. People were relaxed and felt safe with the staff who supported them. Relatives said; " [Name of person] is happy there,” and “Staff look after their safety and well-being.” A professional said: “Staff are very friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable” about people.”
We were not fully assured the service were following safe infection prevention and control procedures to keep people safe with regard to the current COVID 19 pandemic. This was because the provider was not doing all that was reasonable possible to prevent cross infection when people were admitted to the service for respite stays.
People admitted to Woodside for a period of respite were not being COVID tested prior to their admission, so their COVID 19 status was not known until two or more days after admission. Also, they were not expected to self-isolate for 14 days after admission. This was not in accordance with government nor Voyage guidance on testing and self- isolation. Although we found no evidence that people had been harmed, these respite admission arrangements increased the risk of the spread of COVID 19 for the people living at Woodside and the staff caring for them.
We raised our concerns about these arrangements and explained the reasons why. In response, the provider made a voluntary undertaking to stop admissions for respite stays, whilst they reviewed their infection prevention and control arrangements.
People had been supported to understand the risks associated with the COVID 19 pandemic in ways that were meaningful to them. Staff used art and crafts to help people understand about ‘germs’ and reminded people to socially distance. Also, about the importance of keeping rooms well ventilated.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and Independence. Staff spoke about the ways they promoted people to be more independent. Three people lived in self- contained flats with staff support. One person enjoyed helping in the kitchen by washing up and emptying the dishwasher. People were encouraged to keep active by regular walks in the local area. Favourite community activities were being arranged in house during lockdown. For example, a weekly disco.
Right care:
• Care was person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People received personalised care by staff who knew them well. People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends by telephone and through video calls.
Right culture:
• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services led confident, inclusive and empowered lives. The provider was committed to enabling people they supported to live fulfilling, meaningful and happy lives. People’s care records focused on people’s strengths, abilities and individual goals.
People's risk assessments and care plans provided staff with detailed, up to date information about how to safely care for each person. People received their prescribed medicines safely and on time.
Staff understood the signs of abuse and felt confident any safeguarding concerns reported were listened and responded to. Robust recruitment systems made sure suitable staff were employed.
Staff felt well supported by the registered manager and their deputy. They reported good team working and staff morale. Staff comments included; “Good teamwork,” “We are one big happy family” and “Staff are lovely, they have a real passion for what they are doing.” Effective quality monitoring systems were used effectively to oversee the quality of the service and make continuous improvements.
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. (Report published March 2018).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted by anonymous concerns about leadership. Also, about differing COVID 19 arrangements for people who lived at Woodside compared with people admitted for respite stays. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We reviewed the information we held about the service.
No areas of concern were identified in the other Key Questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those Key Questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Safe and Well Led sections of this full report. The provider has taken immediate action to mitigate these risks. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woodside on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
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.
At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.
At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.
Why the service is rated Good
People were safe at the service because recruitment, finances, staffing, infection control, and arrangements for servicing and maintenance protected people from unsafe situations and harm. Medicine management was improved during the inspection and was safe. Individual risks to people were assessed and managed with as little restriction to the person as possible.
Staff knew how to protect people from abuse and discrimination. This information was clearly displayed and staff knew to report any concerns and ensure action was taken. The registered manager had acted appropriately where a potential safeguarding concern was identified.
Staff were supported to be skilled and efficient in their roles and spoke of good teamwork and how much they liked working at Woodside.
People’s legal rights were understood and upheld with as little restriction as possible.
People’s health care needs were met through working with external health care professionals and staff’s detailed knowledge of the people using the service. Staff had acted quickly in response to sudden illness.
The service had identified that the premises was not conducive to a wide variety of activities but plans were in place to improve the amount of useful space available to people.
People received a varied diet and specialist dietary needs were met. Some people prepared meals themselves with support.
Dignity and privacy were promoted. Individual needs were very varied but people received support and care according to their needs and preferences. People were treated with respect.
Support plans were detailed and reviewed with the person when possible, staff who supported the person and family members. Staff looked to identify best practise and used this to people’s benefit. Staff worked with and took advice from health care professionals, who spoke highly of the service.
A variety of activities were sought and people were supported to enjoy an active lifestyle.
Leadership was skilled. Staff were supervised, supported and were clear what was expected of them. Audits and checks were carried out in-house and through the provider, so any problem could be identified and rectified.
The registered manager understood and met their legal responsibilities.
This inspection took place on 25 November 2015 and was an unannounced inspection.
Woodside specialises in providing care and support to adults who have a learning disability. The home can accommodate up to 11 people. There are eight bedrooms in the main home and three self-contained flats attached to the property. Woodside offers long term and short stays. The home is staffed 24 hours a day.
The people we met had complex learning disabilities and not all were able to tell us about their experiences of life at the home. We therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 by a stable and very caring staff team who knew them well. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and people were supported to access the community and enjoy trips out and other activities when they wanted.
The service was well-led. The registered manager and staff team were committed to ensuring people received the care and support they needed and that they enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life.
The staff team received the training and support they needed and their skills and knowledge were kept under review to ensure they remained competent.
Staff knew about the procedures to follow to minimise risks to people and to help keep them safe. Staff told us they would not hesitate in raising concerns and they felt confident allegations would be fully investigated and action would be taken to make sure people were safe.
The procedures for recruiting staff helped to minimise risks to the people who lived at the home. Checks were carried out on potential staff to make sure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staff did not commence employment until satisfactory checks had been received.
People were always asked for their consent before staff assisted them with any tasks and staff knew the procedures to follow to make sure people’s legal and human rights were protected.
People were unable to look after their own medicines. Staff made sure medicines were stored securely and there were sufficient supplies of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them.
People’s health and well-being was kept under review and staff liaised closely with health and social care professionals to ensure people received the support they needed.
The atmosphere in the home was very welcoming and relaxed. Routines were very relaxed and very much based around the preferences of the people who used the service. One member of staff said “The great thing is that I can support [Name of person] to do exactly what they want to do when they want to do it.
There were effective procedures in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.