Woodlands Care Centre

Updated 24 June 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 31 May 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection to ensure the provider was available.

Updated 24 June 2022

About the service

Woodlands Care Centre is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 23 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 30 people. Accommodation was provided in a large adapted former private residence.

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

People were positive about the support they received at Woodlands Care Centre. A person-centred approach was clearly evident at the home.

People felt safe and safeguarding procedures were in place. Staff knew how to report any concerns. Overall the registered provider had ensured concerns were appropriately reported to the local authority. People received their medicines regularly and systems were in place for the safe management and supply of medicines. New records for topical medicines were implemented during the inspection.

Some new staff had been recruited and generally people were supported by familiar staff. There were enough staff to meet people's needs in an unrushed way and staff had been recruited safely.

Risks to people's health and well-being were assessed and action was taken to manage these as safely as possible. Regular well-being checks for people nursed in bed needed to be recorded more robustly. Overall staff understood and monitored risks relating to peoples’ dietary needs. Records were available for staff to identify where people had any allergies, however one staff member was unaware of this information. The registered provider confirmed they would ensure all staff were reminded and would organise further training.

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 environment was generally clean and safely maintained. In places the home was tired and worn. The new registered provider had undertaken several environmental improvements and had extensive plans to refurbish and extend the rest of the building.

Improvements had been made to the dining experience and people were positive about the menu choices. Staff understood their roles, were well trained and supervised. They felt supported and were kept up to date through regular training and updates. The home worked closely with external health professionals. This helped achieve good outcomes for people. Staff responded to any changes to people's needs and intervened effectively to prevent further deterioration.

People were supported by staff who were caring. The atmosphere within the home was friendly and welcoming and staff were considerate towards the people they cared for. People and their relatives felt involved and supported in decision making. People's privacy was respected, and their dignity maintained.

Staff provided individualised care and people’s choices were respected. Care records were person-centred and provided staff with guidance about people's needs, preference and life histories.

Meaningful activities were provided, and the home had links with the community. People felt able to raise any concerns and were given the opportunity to provide feedback about the care they received. Staff were undertaking further training and development around end of life care.

Staff were motivated and positive, they felt able to raise any concerns. The registered provider and their management team were open and approachable. People told us the home had improved since the new provider had been in place. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the care. 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 22 October 2016). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

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 inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.