Archived: Willowbank

Willowbank is a domiciliary care agency, registered to provide personal care to people living in their own flats within an extra care scheme in Cambridge.

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 and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were six people receiving personal care from the service.

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

People told us they felt safe. Risk assessments had been completed and enough staff were available to meet the needs of people. Medication was administered as prescribed; staff had received training and had been assessed as competent. Infection control procedures were effective, and systems were in place to monitor incidents and accidents if they occurred. Lessons learnt were shared with staff to prevent reoccurrence wherever possible.

People were supported by trained and knowledgeable staff; this meant their needs were met effectively. Care plans were in place for people and provided guidance to staff. Staff knew people’s dietary and healthcare requirements. Staff requested and acted upon advice, guidance and reviews which were completed by healthcare professionals.

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.

Staff were caring and kind to people. People were supported and encouraged with their independence. The privacy and dignity of people was promoted in practice and staff knew people well.

People were involved in their care, and information was provided in an accessible way. Staff were committed to providing quality care throughout life and provided comfort and compassionate care to people at the end of their lives.

A new manager was in post and they had begun the registration process with the Commission. Staff told us they received good support and leadership. The provider’s systems allowed staff to monitor the quality of the service and drive continuous improvements.

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 01 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 22 July 2017.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as a newly registered service.

Follow up

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