Background to this inspection
Updated
6 December 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.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of 1 inspector, 1 specialist adviser who was a nurse and 1 Expert by Experience who completed calls to relatives remotely. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
Woodcross Healthcare Services 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. Woodcross Healthcare Services is a care home with 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 Care Quality Commission 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 not a registered manager in post. However, there was a home manager who is going through the application process to become a CQC registered manager.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 6 people who used the service and 10 relatives to ask about their experience of the care provided. Some people were unable to tell us their experience of their life in the home, therefore we observed how the staff interacted with people in communal areas. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with 5 members of staff, including care staff, nursing staff, the home manager and deputy manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 7 people's care records and all medicine records in the home. We also reviewed the process used for staff recruitment, records in relation to training and supervision, records relating to the management of the home and a range of policies and procedures.
Updated
6 December 2023
About the service
Woodcross Healthcare Services is a residential care home, providing regulated activities of personal and nursing care up to 44 people. The service provides support to people who have a diagnosis of mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 35 people using the service.
Woodcross Health care service is a two-storey home where bedrooms are across 2 floors. Bedrooms are a selection of shared bedrooms and individual bedrooms. There was plenty of space for people living in the home to be able to have time on their own or be with others who live there.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People who had sore skin areas did not have the appropriate monitoring in place to observe any deterioration or improvement in the area effected.
Peoples care plans stated they were to have skin checks daily, however, it was not documented or evidenced this was taking place.
People who had constipation did not have a management plan in place to prevent them from further harm or health impacts.
Not all risks had been identified or risk assessed. This had the potential to put people at the risk of harm.
Care plan guidelines did not always provide the most up to date information. People with eating and drinking needs had the wrong information documented in their care plans. This presented a risk that people may be given the wrong food, causing a choking risk.
The home needed an update in decoration and the environment was not always clean. Some walls in the house and cushion covers were stained and dirty.
Staff interacted well with people and people told us they felt comfortable and safe.
People and staff had noticed the positive improvements since new management had started. Improvements were seen and the culture in the home was open and friendly.
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.
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 the service under the previous provider was Good (Published 10 August 2017). This is the first inspection of this service under the new provider.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Safe and Well-led sections of this full report.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
The provider took action during the inspection to mitigate the risks we identified during this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woodcross Healthcare services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have identified breaches in relation to regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) and regulation 17 (Good governance) at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from 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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.