Woodlands Court

Updated 10 November 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

This inspection took place on 9 October 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home, including the provider information return (PIR). This is a form in which we ask the provider to give some key information about the home, what the home does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed notifications the provider had sent us since our previous inspection. A notification is important information about particular events that occur at the home that the provider is required by law to tell us about. We contacted local authority commissioners that had contact with the home to obtain their views. We reviewed the information to assist us with our planning of the inspection.We reviewed the notifications received by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other information we hold about the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During our inspections we spoke with the person who used the service and observed how staff interacted with them. We used observations as a way of viewing the care and support provided by staff. This was used to help us understand the experience of people who were present on the day of the inspection, but could not talk to us.

We spoke with the registered manager, a senior support worker, and one support worker.

We looked at records in relation to the person’s care. These records related to the management of risk, minutes of meetings, staff support sessions, and systems for monitoring the quality of the service.

Updated 10 November 2017

Woodlands Court is registered to provide personal care. The service provides care and support to people living in their own flats in one building, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. At the time of the inspection there was only one person receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

This unannounced inspection took place on 9 October 2017. At the last inspection on 16 April 2015 the service was rated as ‘good’. At this inspection we found overall the service remained ‘good’.

A registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Staff were aware of how to reduce risks to people to try and keep them safe. Staff were only recruited after the necessary pre-employment checks had been completed. There were enough staff working in the service to meet people’s needs.

Staff received the training and support they required to carry out their roles effectively. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received the support they needed to ensure they had adequate food and drink that they enjoyed. People were referred to the relevant healthcare professionals whenever this was needed.

Staff supported people in a kind and caring manner which promoted their dignity and privacy. If needed people were supported to make decisions about their care.

Care plans provided staff with the current information they required to meet people’s needs. People were supported to take part in activities that promoted their emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. People were encouraged to raise any concerns they had and felt that they would be dealt with appropriately.

There was an effective quality assurance system in place to identify any areas for improvement. Staff and people who used the service were encouraged to be involved in the running of the service and give their views on any improvements needed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below