Willowbank Care Limited

Updated 5 February 2020

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

One inspector undertook this announced inspection.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a range of different ‘supported living’ setting[s], so that they can live as independently as possible. This included living in shared housing or in their own individual flats. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this and ensure there was a member of staff available to assist in the inspection process.

Inspection activity started on 8 January 2020 and ended on 17 January 2020. We visited the office location on 8, 9 and 17 January 2020.

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 and professionals who work closely with the service. This information helped us plan our inspection.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We visited five supported living services (people’s homes), so we could meet staff and people. Not everyone was able to tell us about their care, we used observations and information from staff, relatives and health professionals to assist with making our judgements.

We spoke with six people as well as four people's relatives by telephone. We spoke with the registered manager who is also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We spoke with eight staff members including the service manager, three deputy managers and five support workers. We also received two emails from staff working for Willowbank telling us about their experience.

We reviewed a range of records in the office and supported living houses. This included five people's support records, medication records and daily notes. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and records for all staff training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 5 February 2020

About the service

Willowbank Care Limited provides supported living and personal care to adults with a learning

disability. The ethos of the service is to enable people to gain and maintain skills to achieve independent living. People who use the service lived either in individual flats or shared housing. There were 12 bespoke services providing support to 29 people. Some people received 24-hour support made up of individual hours and shared support where they lived in shared housing.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 20 people were receiving support with personal care.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

People continued to receive safe care. Staff understood the action to take should they have any concerns about people's safety. The risks associated with people's care had been identified and plans put in place to minimise these. Systems were in place to ensure staff had been recruited safely. The management of medicines was safe.

People continued to receive effective care. People were supported by staff that completed a thorough induction and ongoing training, which had been kept under review. People received help where required to ensure they had enough to eat and drink. People were supported to access health and social care professionals in a timely manner.

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People, relatives and health and social care professionals said the staff were kind and caring. People benefited from a small group of regular staff that had got to know them well. Staff spoke positively about their roles and their support of people.

People continued to receive a service that was responsive. People had been involved in developing a plan of care based on their preferences. This was continually kept under review. People were encouraged to live the life they wanted. People had access to activities based on their interests and hobbies.

The service was well led. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People and staff were consulted, and their views of the service were listened to and acted upon.

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 (published July 2017)

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Willowbank Care Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.