Archived: Westwood Court Care Home

Updated 1 September 2018

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on the 2 and 6 August 2018. The first day was unannounced with the second day announced.

The inspection team consisted of one Adult Social Care Inspector.

Before our visit, we reviewed all the information we had in relation to the service. This included notifications, comments, concerns and safeguarding information. Our visit involved looking at eight care plans, training records, policies and procedures, medication systems and various audits relating to the quality of the service. In addition to this we spoke to five people who used the service and four relatives. We also spoke to the registered manager, a Unit Manager, a registered nurse, two care co-ordinators and two care staff. We spoke with members of the local authority commissioning team who had no concerns about the service. 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.”

As part of our inspection, we ask registered providers to complete 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. We had not requested a PIR be completed and returned to us in this instance.

We checked to see if there had been a recent visit from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion created to gather and represent the views of the public. No visit had been made since the service was registered with us.

Updated 1 September 2018

We carried out an inspection of Westwood Court on the 2 and 6 August 2018. The first visit was unannounced with the second day being announced.

Westwood Court 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. Westwood Court is registered to accommodate 56 people. At the time of our visit, 56 people were living there.

Westwood Court provides accommodation and nursing care for people who live with dementia as well as those who have enduring mental health issues.

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

This was the first visit to the service since it was registered in November 2016. As a result, no ratings had previously been applied to the service.

Staff had a clear understanding of the types of abuse that could occur and had clear procedures for reporting these. Staff were aware of how to raise care concerns with external agencies.

The management of medication was robust. Medication was appropriately stored and subject to regular audits.

Staffing levels were appropriate to the needs of people. Staff were available to assist people at all times.

The premises were clean and hygienic. Equipment used by people was checked and serviced regularly to ensure that they were safe to use.

Risks faced by people in respect of health needs such as pressure ulcers, falls and malnutrition were in place and reviewed regularly. Where people had experienced weight loss, a clear plan of action was in place to protect people’s health.

Recruitment of staff was robust. This ensured that vulnerable people were supported by suitable staff.

Accidents and incidents were recorded to ensure that patterns and trends could be identified to prevent re-occurrence.

Staff received the training they needed to perform their role. This training covered mandatory health and safety topics as well as training linked to the specific needs of the people they supported.

Staff received supervision on a one to one basis as well as through staff meetings.

A structured induction process was in place. The care certificate was used for those who had no previous experience of care.

The registered provider was operating within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Appropriate safeguards had been applied for and granted to ensure that people were safe.

People had their health needs promoted and had access to health professionals in order to ensure they kept healthy.

Consideration had been made to ensure that the premises were dementia-friendly. Signage was available and doors painted in contrasting colours to enable people to be orientated.

Staff adopted a caring and patient approach to people they supported. The privacy of people was promoted at all times.

People had the opportunity to decorate their personal space as they wished to reflect their interests.

A structured activities programme was in place. Information relating to this was presented in an accessible format. Activities were varied and included activities within the service and in the wider community.

Care plans were person centred and included the personal preferences of people. Care plans were reviewed and audited on a regular basis.

A complaints procedure was in place. This gave people the information they needed if they wished to raise concerns.

A registered manager was in place. This person demonstrated a detailed awareness of the specific needs of people who used the service.

A range of audits were in place. These were completed monthly and enabled the registered manager to monitor the quality of support provided within Westwood Court.

The views of people who used the service and their families were gained. Residents/relatives meetings were held on a regular basis.

The registered provider always informed us of any incidents that adversely affected the wellbeing of people who used the service.