The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

The Willows

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

117 Rothesay Terrace, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 5PX (01670) 336688

Provided and run by:
Anderson Nursing Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment – 12 March – 17 April 2024. At the last inspection we rated responsive as requires improvement and made a recommendation around activities provision. This had improved however it was impacted by the deployment of staff which meant people’s needs were not always attended to in a timely manner. This was raised with the provider and registered manager who responded by improving staff deployment. They also acknowledged activities could be developed further. Staff were recruited safely and attended appropriate training. Staff said they felt well supported however the process for support and supervision needed to be formalised. Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs, including in relation to the management of risks and distressed behaviour. Where people were at particular risk of isolation and discrimination concerted efforts were made to integrate people into the local community. Feedback was sought from people, relatives, and staff. Residents and relatives’ meetings were held, surveys were completed, and newsletters provided updates on actions taken in response to feedback. People were supported with their health and care needs and the registered manager was committed to ensuing people received appropriate care and treatment when they needed it. They had built strong relationships with health and social care professionals, who were complimentary of their approach.

1 October 2019

During a routine inspection

The Willows is a care home which is registered to provide personal care and accommodation for people with dementia or physical disabilities. Accommodation is provided in one adapted building over two floors. The home is registered to provide care for up to 27 people. At the time of the inspection 22 people were living at the home.

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

People and their relatives told us they felt safe and there were safeguarding policy and procedures in place. Staff were knowledgeable about the actions they would take to safeguard people and told us they would be confident to raise concerns.

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.

A lack of meaningful activities were available to people to occupy them during the day. The registered manager had identified this and was working to improve the activity provision available to people. We have made a recommendation that a full review of activities provision is undertaken.

Effective systems were in place to monitor the quality and running of the service. The registered manager was also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Safe recruitment procedures had been followed. Recruitment checks were completed in line with the providers policy. Staff told us they felt well supported at work and received relevant training to enable them to carry out their job roles effectively.

Risk assessments and care plans were in place and contained person-centred information relevant to the needs of people. Environmental risk assessments and checks had been completed to ensure the safety of the building. End of life care plans were not in place for all people. The registered manager was working to update care plans to ensure people’s wishes were recorded.

Staff treated people in a dignified manner and people and their relatives told us staff were caring. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager/provider and received regular supervision.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at the last inspection

This service was registered with us on 2 October 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on our inspection programme.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.