CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Woodlands
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found safe medicines management, suitable recruitment, enough staff and risk assessments covering areas such as falls, community access, behaviour and nutrition.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff were trained and supported, and inspectors found appropriate work under the Mental Capacity Act. People received support with nutrition, healthcare and brain injury rehabilitation.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- People, relatives and professionals gave consistently positive feedback. Staff treated people as individuals and provided kind, compassionate and emotionally supportive care.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Care was highly personalised and linked to people's goals, interests and routines. Inspectors found strong rehabilitation progress, meaningful activities and support for social inclusion.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Inspectors found an open culture, strong leadership, motivated staff and effective partnership working. Audits and checks were used to monitor the service and act on improvements.
What inspectors found, March 2019
Rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found exceptionally caring, responsive and well-led support, with safe and effective care rated Good.
Inspectors visited on 21 November 2018 and 7 January 2019. The first visit was unannounced. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, observed care and checked care records, medicines, recruitment files, training and management records.
The home supports up to 14 people with brain injuries. There were 13 people living there at the inspection. Inspectors found that care, emotional support and rehabilitation were outstanding. People were supported to build confidence, independence and social skills, with meaningful activities, holidays and progress towards personal goals.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Effective. Inspectors found safe medicines systems, enough suitable staff, good risk management, appropriate training and support with food, healthcare and rehabilitation. Caring, Responsive and Well-led were rated Outstanding.
The overall rating improved from Good at the previous inspection, while Caring remained Outstanding. Inspectors said the home had improved in other areas, including Responsive and Well-led.
Rehabilitation and progress
The home supported people to regain skills, confidence and independence. Inspectors saw examples of people moving towards more independent living and achieving personal goals.
“The service provided outstanding care, emotional support and rehabilitation to people following their brain injury.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and responded to their individual needs, choices, feelings and communication styles. Privacy, dignity and personal beliefs were respected.
“Staff interacted with people in a way which was kind, caring and compassionate.” from the report
Meaningful activities
People were supported to take part in activities that mattered to them, including sport, art, community outings, events and holidays.
“The registered manager and staff were totally committed to assisting people to pursue their interests which created a sense of wellbeing.” from the report
Safe systems
Medicines, recruitment, staffing, risk assessments, building checks and infection control were managed safely.
“Medicines were managed safely with an effective system in place.” from the report
Strong leadership
The report describes open leadership, highly motivated staff and regular checks on the quality and safety of the service.
“People benefitted from a registered manager who had created an exceptionally open culture.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and track my relative's rehabilitation goals and progress?
- 02What staffing levels will be available for my relative, including for personal care, activities and outings?
- 03How are staff trained and checked as competent to give medicines and support people with brain injuries?
- 04How will you adapt communication, routines and activities to match my relative's needs and interests?
- 05How will you involve our family and relevant health professionals in reviewing care and rehabilitation?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, with the first visit unannounced; the report says the previous overall rating was Good with Caring Outstanding. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 March 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, March 2017
Woodlands was rated Good overall; inspectors found exceptionally caring support, with some training, medicine storage and notification issues.
Inspectors visited on 29 December 2016 and 12 January 2017. The first visit was unannounced. They spoke with eight people, staff and commissioners, observed care, and checked parts of the home and records.
The home supported up to 14 people with acquired brain injuries. There were 10 people living there at the time. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, personalised risk assessments and suitable medicine systems. People had access to food, healthcare, activities and support to become more independent.
The strongest finding was caring. Staff knew people very well, treated them with dignity and helped them work towards personal goals. The home was rated Good for safe, effective, responsive and well-led care, and Outstanding for caring.
Inspectors identified some issues during the visit. Some staff had not yet completed training specific to acquired brain injury. The medicine storage room was too warm, although action had been arranged. The home had also failed to notify CQC promptly about two Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisations.
Exceptionally caring staff
Staff were consistently kind, patient and respectful. They understood people's communication needs and helped them feel valued.
“Staff interacted with the people in a way which was particularly knowledgeable, kind, compassionate and caring.” from the report
Support for independence
People were helped to build skills, confidence and independence. The home supported progress from bedrooms into flats and helped people work towards individual goals.
“The aim of the service is to support people to regain their social, cognitive, and independence skills” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans explained each person's needs, preferences and the best way to support them. People were involved in reviews and future planning.
“The plan was personalised and sufficiently detailed to guide staff on the nature and level of care and support they needed” from the report
Safe staffing and recruitment
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and appropriate checks before staff started work.
“Through our observations and discussions with people and staff members, we found there was enough staff to meet the needs of the people who used the service.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to take part in activities, hobbies, outings and social occasions, including trips into the local community.
“People were involved in a range of activities and outings.” from the report
Incomplete specialist training
needs fixingA number of staff had not completed training about Korsakoff syndrome and acquired brain injury at the first visit. The training had been booked for early February 2017.
“On the first day of the inspection we noted that a number of staff had not completed this training.” from the report
Medicine room too warm
needs fixingThe room where medicines were stored was too warm on many occasions. An air conditioning unit had been arranged by the second inspection day, but it was not yet installed.
“We saw that on many occasions the room temperature was too warm.” from the report
Late regulatory notifications
needs fixingThe home had not told CQC about two DoLS authorisations. The notifications were submitted promptly after inspectors raised the issue.
“It was noted that the registered manager had not informed CQC of the authorisation of two DoLS” from the report
- 01Has the air conditioning unit for the medicine storage room been installed, and how are medicine temperatures checked now?
- 02Have all staff completed training in Korsakoff syndrome and acquired brain injury?
- 03How does the home make sure all DoLS authorisations are notified to CQC on time?
- 04How will you support my relative to build independence and work towards their personal goals?
- 05How are my relative and family involved in care plan reviews and decisions about future progress?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five rating areas; the previous January 2015 inspection found that legal requirements were being met. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 March 2017 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 Woodlands
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- March 2019Outstandingcurrent ratingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- March 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 June 2014.
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 Middlesbrough
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 £980 to £1,230 a week. 31 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
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“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
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