CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Willow Bay
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, November 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with all five areas remaining Good.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 31 October 2018. One inspector spoke with five people, two relatives, the manager and staff. They reviewed care files, medicines records, recruitment records, audits and policies.
The home supported five people with learning disabilities. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practices, suitable training and appropriate support with health care, food, communication and daily choices.
People were treated with kindness and respect. Their care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. They were supported to maintain relationships, take part in activities and build independence.
The overall rating was Good, and each of the five areas was also rated Good. The home was rated Good at the previous inspection, and inspectors found no serious risks or concerns.
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found a consistent staff team, enough support hours and safe medicines administration. Staff training and medicines practices were checked regularly.
“Medicines were managed and administered safely. Only trained and competent staff administered people's medicines.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, manage parts of their lives and work towards personal goals. Staff encouraged independence rather than doing everything for people.
“Staff were very keen to ensure people had choice and options over their life and could build on their independence.” from the report
Personalised communication
The home used different approaches to help people communicate, including pictures, sounds, gestures and visual prompts.
“We saw that the staff were very good at ensuring people were able to communicate in whatever form they found comfortable.” from the report
Activities and community life
People took part in varied activities and were supported to use local services and maintain relationships with family and friends.
“People were supported to access activities that they enjoyed such as, attending day centres, swimming, horse riding and activities in the local community.” from the report
Good leadership
The manager gathered people's views and used regular audits to review the quality of care. Staff said they felt supported and worked well as a team.
“The registered manager had a number of quality monitoring systems in place to continually review and improve the quality of the service provided to people.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you update my relative's care plan if their needs or communication methods changed?
- 02How would you support my relative to take part in activities and trips in the local community?
- 03How do you involve people and their families in regular care plan reviews?
- 04What end of life care training have staff completed, and what support would be available if needed?
- 05How do you check that medicines remain safely administered and records remain accurate?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall quality of the home and all five CQC areas; the report says the shorter format was used because the overall rating had not changed. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 November 2018 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 Willow Bay
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 26 January 2011.
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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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Essex
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Not only was she professional, polite and efficient but she bought a lovely smile and laughter to my parents home.”
“She brought fun and stimulation into mums life.”
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.