CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Willow Brook Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. There were enough staff, medicines were managed safely, the environment was checked and infection control arrangements were in place, although access to laptops could delay care records.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection. The report says the inspection ratings given were for Safe and Well-led.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection. Inspectors did report that people and relatives were positive about the care staff gave.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection. The report says people's needs were assessed and recorded, but it does not give a Responsive rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective audits, regular feedback and a positive culture. Staff felt supported, and the home worked well with health professionals.
What inspectors found, August 2023
Willow Brook Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, well-led care but not enough laptops could delay care records.
Inspectors visited unannounced on 20 June 2023. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals. They observed care and checked care records, medicines, staff training and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, there were enough staff, medicines were managed safely and the home was clean.
The main shortfall was access to electronic care records. There were three laptops, but only one was generally available to most care staff across two floors. Inspectors said this could delay recording care and recommended reviewing the resources available.
The previous inspection, published in December 2019, also rated the service Good. This inspection only gave ratings for Safe and Well-led.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe and confident to raise concerns. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse.
“People were protected from the risk of abuse.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff on shifts to meet people's needs. People received personal care at times they chose and without being rushed.
“There were enough staff to keep people safe.” from the report
Medicines managed safely
Medicines were stored, given and recorded safely. Staff were trained and their competence was checked.
“People received their prescribed medicines safely. Medicines were managed and stored safely.” from the report
Positive care culture
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Staff felt respected and supported by the management team.
“People and relatives were positive about the care staff gave.” from the report
Good management and improvement
The home used audits, feedback, complaints and incident reviews to identify improvements. Staff worked well with health professionals.
“There was an emphasis on improvement and development of the service.” from the report
Limited access to care records
needs fixingThere were not enough laptops for all staff to record care promptly. Inspectors said some staff relied on memory, creating a risk that information might not be available when needed.
“We recommend the provider review what resources are needed to enable all staff to access the electronic records system in a timely way.” from the report
- 01What has the home done since the inspection to give all care staff timely access to the electronic care records system?
- 02How do staff record care if a laptop is not available, and how is important information passed to the next staff member?
- 03How does the home check that staffing levels remain enough when people's needs change?
- 04How are medicines audits completed, and how quickly are any problems corrected?
- 05How are feedback and complaints from people and relatives recorded, acted on and reported back to them?
This inspection rated Safe and Well-led only; the report does not give ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 August 2023 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 Brook Care Home
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- August 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2022
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 February 2022.
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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