Willow View Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

At the lasted rated inspection this key question was rated as requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has improved to good. This meant our evidence showed people's care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life. People’s needs were assessed before they came to use the service. The manager was committed to ensuring that assessments were robust and only people who the team were confident they could meet their needs were accepted to be supported by the service. The staff routinely checked people and their families were satisfied with the service and whether any needs had changed. Staff supported people to manage their health and wellbeing in ways which maximised their independence, choice and control. People reported they found the staff closely listened to their views and care and support was flexible and person-centred. Staff worked with local healthcare professionals and sought advice when required. Staff worked as a team to ensure people’s support needs were met. One visiting healthcare professional told us, "Everyone has a positive approach to change and their individual roles in patient care. From the District Nursing service, it is a pleasure visiting the home and I feel very confident that the staff take on board the care plans we set for patients."

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People told us they were involved in all aspects of their assessment and how it was delivered. They felt the assessment was thorough and captured their needs and was carried out with them by the manager.

Staff told us that there were effective systems in place to assess and monitor people's needs. Staff we spoke with told us about communication and about how they were made aware of potential new admissions. We spoke with agency kitchen staff who told us they received an induction and understood where to find information about people's dietary needs.

Assessment policies, procedures and recording templates were in place that would fully capture people's needs. The staff would use these assessment templates as the basis for developing the detailed risk assessments and care plans. The manager discussed with us that transitions would be undertaken in a considered way to ensure that both the service could meet the needs of the person but also that the person would be able to adapt well to life at Willow View.

Peoples care plans now reflected their current needs and we saw they had been improved to ensure people were involved in them.

Staff confirmed and we saw that they had the skills and knowledge to carry out their role effectively. Staff completed training in relevant areas to ensure they could carry out their role safely and competently. The manager was keen to obtain further more detailed face to face training for staff and this work was underway. Staff worked effectively as a team and with services to support people.

People’s needs were assessed before they came to use the service. The manager had developed systems to ensure right staff skill mixes were available to meet peoples needs. They were investing in staff development to provide a progressive and expert workforce. The manager was clear that they would only provide support to people, when they were confident the service was able to meet their needs.

People told us that staff were competent, caring and treated them with dignity and respect. They told us that staff recognised if there was a change in their health and, when needed, contacted relevant healthcare professionals.

Staff shared that they worked well with other agencies and actively sought support and advice if they were unsure of anyone's care and support needs. The manager had certainly sought to develop positive working relationships with partners to ensure people received the best health and wellbeing support.

Feedback we received from visiting professionals with the service was very positive. One of the district nurses told us, "The care home manager [Name] is very approachable and has built up an excellent rapport with our nursing team on his time managing the home."

The manager had developed systems to ensure staff understood and recognised when people might need the support from external healthcare professionals. They completed regular walk arounds and met with people and their relatives to check people were receiving the care they needed. Professionals we spoke with told us communication was positive between the service and themselves and that the staff and management team were receptive to feedback.

We saw people looked well cared for, happy and healthy. People we spoke with said they enjoyed the food. One person told us, "The food is excellent if there’s things I don’t like I just tell them. The staff help you all they can if you need help. I don’t want to go anywhere else." People and their relatives were confident the service would seek appropriate health and wellbeing support should they need this. One relative told us, “I’ve been involved from the beginning. The nurse is coming in to dress this skin, the heart nurse Is coming to visit. Everything has run smoothly and I know if anything goes wrong they will ring me."

Staff liaised with external health and social care professionals to ensure people received consistent care and support. Staff told us they felt confident to support people with managing healthcare needs.

We saw there were good working relationships with partners. People's healthcare needs were met. Care records clearly detailed people’s health needs and how staff were to support them. They also set out how to encourage people to maintain their well-being and independence.

People and their relatives told us the care they received was good and they were happy with the service provided. One person told us, "If I’m struggling I can go to any one of them (staff)", and a relative said, “I’ve been included in care plan reviews they keep me informed about everything and I have attended all the meetings."

The manager and staff told us they monitored the service to ensure people experienced good outcomes. They routinely checked people were satisfied with the service. One person told us “I have been to the family meetings they have an open door policy. The manager is not over bearing he will listen to you." A relative said, “I have been to the family meetings they have an open door policy. The manager is not over bearing he will listen to you."

The manager regularly reviewed the systems and processes in the service to determine if improvements could be made. Action plans were used to identify and monitor where changes were required and how these could improve the service. They used all feedback to assist them improve the quality of care and support. They were open to reaching out to external services for advice and support to improve outcomes for people.

People told us they were were involved in decisions about their care. People were supported to have the maximum choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. One person told us they enjoyed a glass of Baileys on a night, and another relative said, "My relation is a fussy eater but she gets what she wants. I have been involved in her care plan and I have been to resident and family meetings."

Staff told us that they empowered people to make their own decisions about their care and support. We saw that the service worked with others to ensure that decisions were made in peoples best interest. For example the service worked with the community mental health team to support someone to have appropriate nutrition by ensuring staff supported them to be alert during daytime hours in their best interest.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible. Staff had received training around the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated code of practice and felt confident applying this in their practice. We saw DNACPR and consent policies, and procedures around how to complete capacity assessments and ‘best interests’ meetings were in place.