Willersley House

Updated 27 April 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 16 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 27 April 2021

Willersley House 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. Willersley House provides accommodation and support for up to a maximum of 34 people in one adapted building.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

At our previous inspection on 4 December 2015 we found that people were receiving high quality care which was extremely responsive to people’s individual needs. At this inspection, we found that these standards had been maintained and improved further. People received an outstanding level of care. Skilled and extremely caring staff supported people in the way they chose and end of life care was exceptional.

The environment at Willersley House was calm and inviting. The registered manager, the staff team and the people who used the service were all very keen to share their thoughts and views of the service.

Without exception people and their relatives were extremely complimentary about the service. They were full of praise for the management and care staff and told us that they were exceptionally kind, caring and compassionate towards them. All of the people we spoke with told us they felt that Willersley House was an excellent place to live and that they felt safe. People consistently referred to the service as being ‘one big family’ and considered it their home. Relatives also confirmed that people living and working at the home had become an extended family.

The provider was creative in seeking people’s feedback and people were actively involved in making decisions about the care that they received. Their opinions were respected and listened to. The service was run very much around the needs of those living there.

Medicines were managed safely and staff had an exceptional knowledge of the medicine systems and procedures in place to support this. The support people received with their medicines was person centred and responsive to their needs. Staff worked closely with people to provide the right level of support they required.

Staff were highly trained in safeguarding people from abuse and put this training into practice. The home used creative ways to support people to maintain relationships and safeguard them when needed. Positive relations with staff were encouraged and staff had time to spend with people. The service was staffed above their minimum required staffing levels and staff retention was high.

People’s care plans showed that there was a strong commitment to person centred care and that risks were assessed and managed. People were supported to make their own decisions regarding their own safety and positive risk taking is encouraged.

People were supported to access a comprehensive programme of activities both within the home and in the wider community. This was person centred and supported by a team of dedicated and creative volunteers. People’s spiritual well-being was promoted and extremely well looked after and their religious beliefs encouraged and supported.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were extremely well catered for. A highly motivated nutrition champion was in place who constantly considered ways to improve people’s nutritional and fluid intake. We saw that this had had a very positive impact on people’s health and well-being.

Staff were highly skilled and competent to meet the needs of people. Training was tailored to meet the needs of the residents and this demonstrated an enhanced knowledge and understanding of people in their care. People were supported by kind, extremely caring and compassionate staff who routinely went above and beyond what was expected of them. This meant people received excellent, high quality care.

Staff demonstrated their knowledge of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). 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.

There was a strong culture within the service of treating people with dignity and respect. People and the staff knew each other well and these relationships were valued by people who used the service.

The management promoted open discussions with people and staff about incidents, accidents and near misses. Investigations were thorough and comprehensive and lessons learned were reflected upon and communicated. This meant the likelihood of future similar incidents was reduced.

The service was clean and infection control measures were in place. The manager had robust audits in place to monitor the risk and spread of infection.