Willboag Ltd

Updated 19 October 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 15 July 2022 and ended on 28 July 2022. We visited the location’s office on 15 July 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, two care coordinator’s and four support workers. We viewed the provider’s call monitoring system, two staff recruitment files and policies and procedures. We spoke to three relatives about people’s experience of using the service. After the site visit, we also spoke with a health professional and a positive behaviour consultant for their feedback on the quality of the service. We also viewed four people’s care plans and training documentation for all staff. We also reviewed quality assurance documents in relation to the management of the service.

Updated 19 October 2022

About the service

Willboag Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to children and adults. The service provides support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to five children and young people with a learning disability and/or autism.

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.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right support

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 lived at home with family members who told us their relative was safe with care staff. People were encouraged to make choices and decisions in accordance with their level of understanding.

People had their risks assessed to reduce the risk of potential harm to them. People who may become anxious or distressed had proactive plans in place to reduce the need for restrictive practices. Recruitment checks were carried out to ensure staff employed were safe to work with people. Systems were in place to report and learn from any incidents where restrictive practices were used.

People were cared for and supported by staff who were suitably trained and supported to effectively perform their roles and responsibilities.

Right care

Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse as staff knew how to report concerns should they suspect or witness abuse. Relatives told us staff were kind and caring towards their relative and treated them with dignity and respect. Relatives confirmed that they were included in decision making about their relative’s care. People were supported to maintain their privacy, dignity and independence by a staff who knew them well. Staff were matched to people based on their skills, qualities and interactions with people who used the service.

People had their communication needs met and information was shared in a way that could be understood.

People were supported to access food and drink that met their dietary needs and wishes. People were supported to stay healthy and well, and to access community health and social care services as and when required.

Right culture

The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of management and care staff promoted a service which was inclusive, empowered and encouraged good outcomes for people who used the service. Relatives and staff spoke positively of the registered manager. Managers ensured that staff had relevant training, supervision and appraisal. Governance systems ensured people were kept safe and received a high quality of care and support in line with their personal needs. Staff worked well with other services and professionals to improve outcomes for people.

Relatives told us the registered manager was approachable and took action to resolve issues where needed. Staff told us they were well supported by the registered manager and were listened to and encouraged to discuss their views regarding the service.

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 08 January 2020 and this is the first inspection.

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.