Willis Lodge Care Home

Willis Lodge Care Home is a residential care home, providing personal care to 33 adults of all ages at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 37 people. The service provides support primarily to people with mental health needs.

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

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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Changes to people’s care records had not always been completed in a timely manner following increased risk to their health and safety. Action to address concerns regarding legionella had not been fully completed. Governance procedures had not highlighted these issues; however, we have been informed that action has now been taken. The impact of these was minimal on people.

People felt safe at this home. They received their medicines when needed and there were enough staff in place to provide safe care. The home was clean and tidy, and incidents were reviewed, and action taken to reduce recurrence.

People’s needs were assessed prior to them living at the home, ensuring their care and support needs could be met. Staff were well trained, skilled, and experienced. People received support with the meals, including preparing meals for themselves where able. People had regular access to health and social care professionals. The home environment was suitable to people’s needs.

Staff were kind, caring and provided respectful care. People’s privacy was respected. People felt involved with decisions about their care needs. People received person-centred care. They were encouraged to socialise with others and to lead active lives. There was an aim to support people with living more independently. Complaints were managed appropriately. Staff communicated with people in a way that did not discriminate. End of life care not currently provided.

People and staff liked the registered manager and found them to be approachable and well-meaning. There was a positive atmosphere and culture at the home. Improvements had been made since our last inspection to the process of reporting incidents to the CQC.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 18 November 2019) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to how what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended that improvements were made in relation to safeguarding procedures and medicines. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on these recommendations and improvements had been made.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

We found the following examples of good practice.

The provider ensured people living at Willis Lodge had regular access to friends and family. Visitors must comply with strict entrance criteria such as evidence of a negative LFT result prior to entering the home. Wherever possible, visits took place away from communal areas to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.

We observed staff wearing PPE as required. The layout of communal areas enabled social distancing to take place. Staggered mealtimes were introduced to reduce the number of people being in one room. Rooms were well ventilated with fresh air throughout the home.

Safe isolation procedures were in place to protect others from the risk of infection should the home experience an outbreak of COVID-19. PPE stations were placed at regular intervals throughout the home. Appropriate procedures were also in place to dispose of used PPE safely. We observed staff doing so.

The provider had processes in place that ensured the safe admission of new people to the home. Evidence of vaccinations and recent LFT and/or PCR test results were a requirement of entry. Further testing was carried out. When a negative test result was received, people were free to join others in communal areas.

It was acknowledged isolation for people living with a mental health condition could be problematic. For those people, specific staff were assigned to support them and were ready to identify any potential risks. Easy-read posters were placed around the home offering guidance and information for people who may have difficulties understand more complex information.

There were ample supplies of PPE at the home. The provider had a regular supply and would be ready if there was an outbreak of COVID-19.

A robust testing regime was in place. All staff and people living at the home were tested regularly and in accordance with government guidance.

Regular cleaning of all touch points and other key areas was carried out throughout the day. The home was visibly clean and tidy.

There were enough staff to support people safely and to cover any staff holidays, sickness and COVID-19 isolation. Where needed, regular agency staff provided cover for shifts. Compliance with provider COVID-19 and infection control policies and procedures was required before commencing their role.

The provider considered staff member’s wellbeing. A variety of initiatives were in place to support staff whose mental health and wellbeing may have been affected by the pandemic. This included an increase in rates of pay and access to counselling services.

The provider had assessed the impact of potential ‘winter pressures’ and acted accordingly. Regular COVID-19, outbreak and other related audits were carried out to help identify any areas of concern. Action plans were in place and reviewed.

Willis Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to 24 adults of all ages at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 37 people. The service provides support primarily to people with mental health needs.

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

People felt safe living at Willis Lodge and they were supported by appropriately trained staff who knew how to keep people safe whilst caring for them. People felt there were enough staff and that they never had to wait long for assistance. Risks associated with people’s care had been thoroughly assessed and managed well. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way.

We have made a recommendation around the recording of medicines and their safeguarding procedures which required improvement.

People felt the management were approachable and concerns were dealt with appropriately. The registered manager had quality monitoring processes in place and worked with other agencies to ensure people received person-centred care and support. The registered manager had not understood their regulatory duty when it came to notifying CQC of certain events.

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.

People were supported by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep well nourished and hydrated. Staff supported people to access appropriate healthcare in a timely manner. People had access to outdoor space and the service was adapted and decorated in a way that supported those living there.

People were supported by kind and caring staff who promoted their independence and respected their privacy.

People’s care plans were individualised and staff were provided with information to support people in a personalised way. People enjoyed the wide range of activities Willis Lodge offered and they were involved in choosing them. People were supported to get involved with the local community and many had taken up volunteer roles.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 11 October 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

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.