The Westwood

Updated 4 July 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was undertaken by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

The Westwood is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Westwood is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 5 June 2023 and ended on 20 June 2023. We visited the location’s service on 5 and 8 June 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people about the care they received, and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 7 staff members including support workers and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records including 2 people’s care and support plans, risk assessments and medicines records. We reviewed 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. We reviewed a variety of records relating the management and quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 4 July 2023

About the service

The Westwood is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 3 people. The service provides support to people who have a learning disability and/or autistic people. At the time of our inspection there were 3 people using the service.

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 the Care Quality Commission (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. Staff engaged people in expressing their views on the care they received and placed them at the heart of their care. Staff understood the needs of people well and the importance of supporting people to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Right Care

People were cared for by staff who respected them as individuals. Staff provided person-centred care whilst promoting privacy, dignity and independence. Relatives praised the staff approach which was described as “Brilliant.” People received care which was specific to their individual wants, needs and preferences. People were supported to engage in activities which were meaningful to them, and staff understood how to support people with their individual wellbeing.

Right Culture

The registered manager and staff worked to ensure people felt confident and empowered, whilst promoting a culture of openness and transparency. People were engaged in all aspects of care delivery and positive outcomes were being achieved frequently. Staff felt confident in raising concerns and spoke highly of the registered manager. Staff and others were engaged in the running of the service, and we saw evidence of effective partnership working.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 4 November 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.