Westlands Care Home

Updated 20 August 2019

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience on the first day, and one inspector on the second day. It was unannounced. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Westlands Care Home is a ‘care home’ for a maximum of 21 older people. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (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.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service and notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We spoke with nine people receiving a service, three relatives and ten members of staff, which included the provider and registered manager. We spent time talking with people and observing the interactions between them and staff.

Some people living at the service were unable to communicate their experience of living at the home in detail with us as they were living with dementia. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people, who could not comment directly on their experience.

We reviewed three people’s care files, three staff files, staff training records and a selection of policies, procedures and records relating to the management of the service. After our visit we sought further feedback from health and social care professionals to obtain their views of the service provided to people. We received feedback from three professionals.

Updated 20 August 2019

About the service

Westlands Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 19 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 21 people.

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

The service provided safe care to people. One person commented: “Yes I do feel safe here.” Measures to manage risk were as least restrictive as possible to protect people’s freedom. People’s rights were protected because the service followed the appropriate legal processes. Medicines were safely managed on people’s behalf.

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.

Care files were personalised to reflect people’s personal preferences. Their views and suggestions were taken into account to improve the service. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Health and social care professionals were regularly involved in people’s care to ensure they received the care and treatment which was right for them.

Staff relationships with people were caring and supportive. Staff provided care that was kind and compassionate.

There were effective staff recruitment and selection processes in place. People received effective care and support from staff who were well trained and competent.

Staff spoke positively about communication and how the management team worked well with them and encouraged their professional development.

A number of methods were used by the home to assess the quality and safety of the service people received. The service made continuous improvements in response to their findings.

The registered manager had notified the Care Quality Commission appropriately about any significant events at the service.

Rating at last inspection: The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (report published in August 2018). At that inspection we found seven breaches of regulation. These were regards to notifications not being submitted to the Care Quality Commission, personalised care planning, not acting in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (2005), risk management, governance arrangements, recruitment and staff training and support. This inspection found improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of regulation.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Westlands Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

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.

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