Windle Court

Updated 5 September 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors, one assistant inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Windle Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection and sought feedback from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with 10 people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, senior team leaders, care workers, well-being lead, cook and regional operations director. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We reviewed and evaluated evidence which was sent to us by email following our inspection.

Updated 5 September 2019

About the service

Windle Court is a residential care home and provides accommodation and personal care for up to 76 older people, including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection, 68 people were living at the service.

The service accommodates people across three separate units: Jasmine, Poppy and Sunflower. Both Poppy and Sunflower units are located within the main building. Jasmine unit is a three-storey building adjacent to the main building.

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

People told us they felt safe living at Windle Court. Staff had been recruited following relevant checks being completed, and there were enough staff to provide safe care. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns to protect people from harm and abuse. Risk assessments were completed to identify and mitigate risks to people. The management of medicines was safe, and people received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff received on-going training, supervision and appraisal to enable them to fulfil their role and responsibilities and meet people’s care and support needs. 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 with their dietary needs and were supported, where required, to access health care professionals.

Staff knew people well and were kind and sensitive to their needs. They treated people with dignity and respect and promoted their independence. A holistic approach was taken to assessing, planning and delivering care and support, and people were fully involved in how their care was to be provided.

People knew how to raise a complaint and felt confident any issues would be addressed. Where there had been incidents or complaints, these had been responded to appropriately and the provider had systems to monitor and learn from these.

The culture of the service was person-centred, open and transparent. The registered manager was visible around the home and staff had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. People were encouraged to express their views on the service they received and to be involved in the running of the service. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to drive continuous improvement.

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 requires improvement (published 25 September 2018).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show 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.

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.