About the service:

Woodlands Home for Older People is a residential home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for 50 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection 49 lived at the home. Some people were living with dementia. The home was split into three areas known as Cedar Grove, Ash Grove and Beech Grove. Cedar Grove provided care for people living with dementia. The service is also registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. This type of care was only provided in emergency circumstances and was not being provided at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe and staff were kind and caring. Staff understood how to safeguard people from abuse and report any concerns.

Some people and their relatives raised concerns about the level of staff in the home, particularly during the night. We made a recommendation about reviewing the staffing levels to ensure people’s needs were met in a timely way.

Appropriate recruitment procedures ensured prospective staff were suitable to work in the home. People were satisfied with the way they were supported to take their medicines. However, some topical creams were not being applied in line with the prescriber’s instructions. Action was taken about this issue during the inspection. Staff had completed medicines training and had their competency checked. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. There were arrangements in place to protect people from the risks associated with the spread of infection. However, concerns were raised about people sharing slings used with the hoist. The registered manager ensured all people who required assistance with their mobility had their own sling during the visit.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. However, the systems in the service did not always support this practice. An inappropriate form was completed in respect to people’s capacity to consent to their care and there was limited information about the application of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in people’s support plans. Following the inspection, the registered manager sent us an action plan which assured us action would be taken to address these issues. People’s needs were assessed prior to them using the service. Arrangements were in place for new staff to receive induction training.

There was ongoing training for all staff. Staff were supported with regular supervisions and were given the opportunity to attend regular meetings to ensure they could deliver care effectively. People were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet. However, we observed staff focussed on tasks when supporting people with their meals on Cedar Grove. The registered manager told us that senior staff would work alongside the care staff to ensure people received personalised care during mealtimes. People were supported to maintain their health and a visiting healthcare professional provided positive feedback about the service.

Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes. People’s support plans reflected their likes and dislikes, and staff spoke with people in a friendly manner. People and/or their relatives had discussed their care needs with staff. Our observations during inspection, were of positive and warm interactions between staff and people who lived in the home.

People were aware of how they could raise a complaint or concern if they needed to and had access to a complaints procedure.

The quality assurance systems were not always effective in identifying shortfalls. However, the senior operations manager had carried out a comprehensive audit and had devised a detailed action plan. The registered manager wa

We carried out an inspection of Woodlands Home for Older People on 26 and 27 September 2016. The first day was unannounced.

Woodlands Home for Older People is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 46 older people. The home is located close to the centre of Clayton-le-Moors and is set in its own grounds. Accommodation is provided on one level in 46 single bedrooms. The home has three distinct areas known as Ash Grove, Beech Grove and Cedar Grove. The latter provided care for people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 45 people accommodated in the home.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection on 6 February 2014, the service was found to be meeting the regulations applicable at that time.

During this inspection people told us they felt safe and staff treated them well. Safeguarding adults’ procedures were in place and staff understood how to safeguard people from abuse. Risks associated with people’s care were identified, assessed and recorded. There was a whistle-blowing procedure available and staff said they would use it if they needed to.

Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff with the safe ordering, administration, storage and disposal of medicines. We saw medicines were managed, stored, given to people as prescribed and disposed of safely by trained staff.

We observed staff acted in a courteous, professional and safe manner when supporting people. There were sufficient staff numbers on duty to keep people safe and to meet people's needs. Safe staff recruitment procedures were in place which ensured only those staff suitable to the role were in post.

Staff had completed an induction programme when they started work and they were up to date with the provider's mandatory training. The registered manager and staff understood the main principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and acted according to this legislation. There were appropriate arrangements in place to support people to have a varied and healthy diet. People had access to a GP and other health care professionals when they needed them.

Staff treated people in a respectful and dignified manner and people's privacy was respected. People living in the home had been consulted about their care needs and had been involved in the care planning process. We observed people were happy, comfortable and relaxed with staff. Support plans and risk assessments provided guidance for staff on how to meet people’s needs and were reviewed regularly. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible and supported to participate in a variety of daily activities.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and ensure people received safe and effective care. These included seeking and responding to feedback from people in relation to the standard of care and oversight by a senior manager. Regular checks were undertaken on all aspects of care provision and actions were taken to continuously improve people's experience of care.

During our visit we spoke with six people using the service, five visitors and four staff.

Everyone said they were happy with the service and standard of care. Comments included, "It is a good atmosphere" and "I am very happy, I would recommend the home".

During our visit we observed staff treating people in a friendly and respectful way. People told us they were offered choices and were supported in a way that respected their privacy and dignity and encouraged their independence.

People were involved in discussions and decisions about the activities they would prefer. They told us there was 'enough to do' and they particularly enjoyed the various trips out of the home. One person said, “You go out in the country, find a pub and have a nice lunch”.

People told us they enjoyed the food. They said, "The food is very nice" and "We get plenty to drink through the day and I can have something during the night if I wake up".

Staff had been recruited safely and had undertaken training that gave them the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. One member of staff commented, “I enjoy working here”.

People made positive comments about the staff team. Comments included, "They are very good and very kind here" and "The staff are lovely people".

People using the service told us they liked living at Woodlands and were satisfied with the care provided.

We saw that people were treated with respect and leisure activities were organised everyday.

We found the home to be clean and tidy and free from offensive odours.

We saw that at lunch time on the dementia unit the two care workers on duty were unable to fully meet the needs of people using the service. However, staffing levels have been increased in order to ensure that people receive assistance promptly at lunch time.

We noted that appropriate and accurate records were kept for people using the service and the overall effective management of the home.

People told us they were satisfied with the care provided at the home. One person said, “The staff are kind and will do anything you ask them.” One visitor said, “The staff are very caring, they’re well looked after.”

We asked people what they did all day one person said, “Nothing, I just sit here, they don’t organise anything, some play dominoes but there’s nothing else.”

There have been no improvements in the range of activities provided since the last inspection.

Care workers told us they didn’t have much time to organise activities or sit and chat to people because there were only two of them on duty on each of the residential units throughout the day.

Visitors were welcomed into the home at anytime. One visitor said, “We’re always offered a cup of tea.”

Arrangements were in place to ensure that people using the service and their relatives were involved in planning and reviewing their care.

People using the service told us they liked living at Woodlands and were satisfied with the care provided. They said the meals were good and were given a choice of menu for each meal.

One person said, “The staff are polite and like a bit of fun.” Another person said, “The staff are very good.”

Visitors were welcomed into the home at any time and offered refreshments. One visitor said, “They try to keep people as cheerful as possible.”

We asked people what they did all day one person said,” Nothing, we don’t do anything only sit about and have meals.” Another person said, “It’s boring really.

All the people we asked said they could choose when to get up and go to bed.

One person we spoke with told us that ‘they (care workers) are very good with medicines.’ But, a second person was concerned that on occasion doses may be missed because they had ‘run out’. Another person told us that they were happy for staff to look after their medicines and confirmed that care workers applied their creams every day. We looked at how people living at Woodlands could access treatment for minor ailments. One person explained, ‘If you ask they’ll get you something, or the doctor will come if you’re very poorly.’