26 November 2019
During a routine inspection
Walcot Hall is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 32 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 42 people.
Walcot Hall is a large adapted period house on the outskirts of a village and has extensive and pleasant grounds for people to enjoy. There are communal dining and recreation areas. Accommodation is arranged on two floors.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider assessed and managed risks well and people were safe. We brought one potential risk to the registered manager’s attention and they took prompt action to address it. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and monitored the safety of the environment through regular checks. There were enough staff, although in recent weeks the service had struggled with staffing and some people who used the service commented on the impact of this. Staff were recruited safely.
Staff were knowledgeable, well trained and worked collaboratively as one large team. Pre-admission assessments were good and ensured people had appropriate care in place before they were admitted or readmitted. People's physical and emotional healthcare needs including their eating and drinking needs were very well managed
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 had a good understanding of consent. Where people needed to be deprived of their liberty for their own safety, an appropriate application had been submitted to the local authority.
Staff were very kind and respectful and included people in decisions about their care and support. Families were involved in decisions if people were not able to do this for themselves.
People received person-centred care which met their individual needs. End of life care was good, and staff had appropriate end of life training. People had things to do and small group activities worked well. Some people would have liked more to do. Complaints were well managed.
Leadership was strong and the manager was a role model to all staff. The registered manager was aware of small areas for improvement and was open, honest and transparent about these. Audits showed good oversight and enabled the registered manager to identify patterns and trends and take appropriate action, if needed.
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 15 February 2017.)
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 re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.