Woodhouse Cottage

Updated 16 February 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Woodhouse Cottage is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We also sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who lived at the home and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the operations director, senior care assistant and care assistants.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. These records were used to form our judgements.

Updated 16 February 2022

About the service

Woodhouse Cottage is a residential care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection, five people were living in the home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture. People were empowered to make their own choices and to maximise their independence, with the support of a highly motivated and committed staff team. People received exceptionally person-centred care, which met their needs and promoted their privacy, dignity and human rights. The home had an exceptionally open, inclusive and empowering culture, which ensured good outcomes were achieved for people.

People were supported by staff who were highly motivated, compassionate and exceptionally caring. Staff had formed trusting relationships with people and encouraged them to live as independently as possible. Care was extremely person-centred and delivered by a staff team who knew people exceptionally well.

The staff team were committed to delivering extremely responsive and person-centred care, which met people’s needs and had a very positive impact on their well-being. Respect for people’s privacy and dignity was consistently promoted and upheld. Activities were individualised to suit people’s personal preferences and staff actively encouraged and supported people to achieve their goals and aspirations. This led to exceedingly great outcomes for people.

People consistently told us they felt safe living at the home. Risks to people’s safety were comprehensively assessed, monitored and managed, and this was balanced against people’s wish to be as independent as possible. Safe recruitment practices were followed, and people received support from staff who were skilled, well-supported and well-trained.

The home was well-maintained, and people were encouraged and supported to personalise their rooms and the communal areas. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and staff were consistently complimentary of the registered manager and the way the service was run. The registered manager had established and embedded a person-centred culture within the service, which consistently delivered high quality care. The provider regularly sought feedback from people, staff and relatives, in order to continuously drive improvement and develop the ongoing delivery of care and support people received.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 July 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.