CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Welwyn
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe, and staff understood safeguarding and personalised risk plans. The home had enough trained staff, safe recruitment processes, maintained equipment and systems for medicines and learning from incidents.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed with input from other professionals, and staff received training linked to people's needs. People had choices about food, access to healthcare and support with communication, consent and independence.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- Staff knew people very well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. People were supported to express their views, make choices and develop relationships.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Care was highly personalised and changed when people's needs changed. The home used varied communication tools, supported meaningful activities and had strong links with local community organisations.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Managers created an open culture focused on person-centred care and continuous learning. Audits, feedback and investigations were used to improve the service, and this rating improved from Good at the previous inspection.
What inspectors found, May 2019
Rated Outstanding; inspectors found exceptionally caring, responsive and well-led support, with safe and effective care rated Good.
This was an unannounced inspection by one inspector on 04 April 2019. The inspector spoke with people living at the home, a relative, staff and other professionals. They observed care and checked five people's records, medicines records, audits and other information.
People were described as receiving very good care and support, with positive outcomes. Staff understood people's complex needs and supported them to make choices, build independence and take part in activities. The home used personalised communication methods and involved people and their families in care decisions.
The home was rated Outstanding overall. Caring, Responsive and Well-led were Outstanding. Safe and Effective were Good, meaning the inspectors found these areas met the required standard. The home had also been rated Outstanding at the previous inspection in May 2016, while Well-led improved from Good to Outstanding.
Kind and individual care
Staff understood people's personalities, histories and needs. They built trusting relationships and supported people in a compassionate and respectful way.
“People were supported by staff in a way that was respectful and kind.” from the report
Communication and choice
People had personalised communication plans and books. These helped them express their wishes and take part in decisions about their care.
“People had communication books developed by the SALT team which were personalised and enabled them to effectively communicate their changing needs.” from the report
Meaningful activities
Activities were based on people's interests and goals. Staff adapted activities so people could take part and build confidence, relationships and independence.
“People had individualised "dream books" which included their personal aspirations.” from the report
Strong leadership and improvement
Managers involved people, families and staff in improving the home. They investigated incidents, encouraged openness and used regular audits to monitor quality.
“There were organised, effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you use the person's communication book and communication plan in their daily care?
- 02How would you assess and manage the risks linked to my relative's specific needs while still supporting their independence?
- 03What training would staff have for my relative's physical, sensory, behavioural or communication needs?
- 04How would you respond if my relative's health, anxiety or behaviour changed?
- 05How would you involve my relative and our family in weekly meetings, care reviews and decisions about activities?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection of the care home, covering all five CQC questions as well as the premises and care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 May 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, September 2016
Rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found exceptionally safe and responsive support, with Good ratings for effective care, kindness and management.
This was an unannounced inspection on 4 and 5 May 2016. One inspector spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff, managers and specialist professionals. They also reviewed care plans, risk assessments, medicines, incident records, recruitment checks and quality monitoring.
The home supported six people with learning difficulties and complex needs. Inspectors found that people were involved in decisions about their care, safety and activities. Staff supported people to take reasonable risks, develop skills, communicate in their own way and achieve personal goals.
The overall rating was Outstanding. Safe and Responsive were also rated Outstanding. Effective, Caring and Well-led were rated Good. The report did not list any breaches, enforcement action or special measures.
Positive risk-taking
The home supported people to do activities that involved some risk, while putting safeguards in place. Inspectors found this helped people develop confidence and skills rather than unnecessarily restricting their lives.
“People were actively engaged in the development of their own risk assessments and to take ownership of their own safety.” from the report
Personal goals
People were supported to work towards goals that mattered to them. These included education, work-related activities, holidays, performances, sports and interests in the community.
“People were supported to identify and achieve what they wanted to in life and did not see personal support needs as a constraint.” from the report
Communication support
The home used personalised communication methods and had support from speech and language therapists. Staff practised these methods in the home and during activities outside it.
“Effective communication was embraced and promoted by all those providing support for people living at Welwyn.” from the report
Involvement in care
People and relatives helped develop and review care and support plans. The plans were written in a format people could understand and focused on what they could achieve next.
“People and those that mattered to them were involved in the development of their care and support plans which were regularly reviewed and accounted for any changes.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw warm relationships between people and staff. Staff knew people's histories, preferences and ways of communicating, and supported privacy and dignity.
“People received support from a staff team who were caring, respectful and kind.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you involve my relative in their own risk assessments while still supporting them to make choices and take reasonable risks?
- 02What personalised communication methods are used for my relative, and how are all staff trained to use them consistently?
- 03How will you help my relative set and achieve personal goals in education, work, leisure and community activities?
- 04What specialist support is available for my relative's communication, mobility, health or behavioural needs?
- 05How will you keep me involved in care plan reviews and tell me about changes in my relative's health or support?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection of the overall service and all five CQC questions, including care for the six people living in the home. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 September 2016 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Welwyn
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Outstanding rating throughout.
- May 2019Outstandingcurrent ratingstayed OutstandingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- September 2016OutstandingSafe: OutstandingEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 August 2012.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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57 live-in carers within about an hour of Shropshire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £960 to £1,230 a week. 52 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.