CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Willow Park Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse, risks were assessed and enough staff were available. However, medicines records and checks were not always reliable, creating a risk that medicines might not be given consistently or when needed.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had relevant training and worked with health and social care professionals. The manager was improving the dining experience after mixed feedback.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff sought consent, knew people's preferences and supported independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were mostly personalised and communication needs were recorded. People had a range of activities, including one-to-one activities for people cared for in bed.
- Well-led?
- Good
- People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the new management team and its open approach. Quality systems were in place, but record keeping and newer checks still needed to be embedded.
What inspectors found, November 2022
Willow Park Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, but medicines records and quality checks needed improvement.
Inspectors visited without warning on 12, 13 and 18 October 2022. They spoke with 12 people, five relatives, 11 staff and two visiting professionals. They reviewed care plans, risk assessments, medicines records, staff files and quality records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People and relatives spoke positively about the care, staff and manager. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable safeguarding arrangements, respectful care, personalised activities and good work with health and social care professionals.
Medicines were not always managed safely. Records did not always show why some medicines were given or whether they worked, and creams were not always clearly recorded. The home corrected some records during the inspection and put an action plan in place. Inspectors found no evidence that anyone had been harmed.
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described staff as kind and caring. Inspectors saw staff respecting privacy, asking permission and supporting independence.
“People were supported by staff who were caring and respected their dignity.” from the report
Staffing and safeguarding
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff were trained in safeguarding and knew what to do if they had concerns.
“Sufficient numbers of staff were available to meet people's needs.” from the report
Person-centred activities
Activities were varied and linked to people's interests and goals. People cared for in bed were also offered one-to-one activities.
“We saw evidence of person-centred activities scheduled daily.” from the report
Open management
The new management team was actively reviewing the service and encouraging feedback from people, relatives and staff.
“The management team were new to the service and were working proactively and promptly to drive service improvement” from the report
Medicines records and checks
seriousMedicines were not always managed safely. Records did not always explain why 'when required' medicines were given or whether they were effective, and medicine discrepancies were not always investigated.
“People's medicines were not always safely managed. We found no evidence people had been harmed.” from the report
Quality checks and record keeping
needs fixingThe home's audits did not identify all the issues found by inspectors. The provider was asked to continue embedding its quality checks and monitor whether records were complete.
“We recommend the provider continues to embed the quality assurance process in place and monitor record compliance.” from the report
- 01How are 'when required' medicines recorded, including why they were given and whether they worked?
- 02How are medicine stock discrepancies investigated and escalated?
- 03What action has been completed to embed the new medicines quality checks?
- 04How are care records being reviewed during the move to electronic care planning?
- 05How is the new manager's application to become registered progressing?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control; it was the first inspection of the service under the new provider, and the home was not providing nursing care to anyone at the time. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 November 2022 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 Park Care Home
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 4 November 2019.
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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