Willow Health Limited

Updated 27 July 2019

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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Willow Health 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.

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

Prior to our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included any safeguarding referrals and statutory notifications that had been sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

The provider had completed a 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 the provider, registered manager, team leader as well as three members of staff. We spoke with two residents and two relatives. We reviewed two care and support plans, medication administration records, one recruitment file, and records relating to the quality and safety monitoring of the service.

After the inspection

We spoke to the provider to clarify the evidence found.

Updated 27 July 2019

Willow Health is a bungalow which has been adapted and provides accommodation for people in single bedrooms. It is a ‘care home’ and is located in a residential area within the town of Colchester. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Willow Health is registered to support up to seven people who have a learning disability, an autistic spectrum disorder and /or a physical disability. There were six people living in the service on the day of our inspection.

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

Risks to people were identified and guidance provided to staff on the steps that they should take to mitigate the risks. However further work was needed to ensure that risks were managed in a consistent way.

Staff were clear about what was a safeguarding incident and the steps that they needed to take to protect people. Incidents were reviewed by the registered manager to identify learning and this meant that staff were able to see how effective their actions had been.

Medicines were securely stored, and regular checks were undertaken to ensure that staff were following procedures and identifying errors promptly.

There were some staffing vacancies, but recruitment was underway. Recruitment processes were in place and we saw that staff commenced employment only after all the pre-employment checks were in place.

The registered manager had been working with the local authority to review people’s needs to ensure that they had the support that they needed. As a result, one person at the service had been assessed as needing one to one support and we saw that this had benefited their overall wellbeing.

Newly appointed staff received an induction to ensure that they had the knowledge and skills to support people safely. Ongoing training was provided for existing staff to keep their skills up to date.

People were provided with a choice of meals and their weight was regularly monitored to ensure that any changes were identified.

People had all lived at the service for several years and had good relationships with staff.

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.

There was a complaints procedure which was on display and in an accessible format. The registered manager collated people’s views in several ways including satisfaction surveys, service user’s meeting and contact with family members.

Care plans had been updated since the last inspection and were detailed and informative.

People had access to a range of social opportunities and activities.

Quality assurance processes had improved and some of the areas that we found at the previous inspection had already been identified as part of the service’s improvement processes and there was a plan to address.

The registered manager was leading cultural change and working towards creating a more person-centred service. Staff were positive about the progress that had been made and the impact on people who lived in the service.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 27 July 2018)

At this inspection we found improvements had been made

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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