Willows Care Home

We identified improvements were required to the staff deployment across the home to ensure staff were available to provide care to people promptly. During the inspection we observed long periods where people were left in communal lounges with no staff present to provide support promptly, which left people at risk.

We observed a lack of engagement and activities in communal areas and for people nursed or remained in bed. At our last inspection this was an area of improvement we identified the provider required to make; at this inspection a new activity co-ordinator had been recently employed. While we saw some evidence of actions taken recently, this had not been embedded to enable sustained improvement.

Medication was administered safety; however, improvements were required to ensure that medication stock is managed effectively.

Care plans required further improvements to prompt staff on actions to complete when providing bespoke care and supporting people's welfare.

Audits and checks the provider made were inconsistent and some actions identified were not always completed. This meant people were receiving inconsistent care and there was a failure to ensure consistent effective monitoring of risk and quality of the home.

People spoke positively regarding the care they received from staff at Willows Care Home. While we received some mixed responses from relatives regarding the home, overall relatives we spoke to were positive regarding staff and care their loved ones received.

Staff spoke positively about working at Willows Care Home, acknowledging area of improvements they wished to see the provider make. Some staff spoke about the regular changes of management within Willows Care Home and the challenges this creates providing consistent care to people.

There had been recent changes to the management team since our last inspection. The manager was open

and transparent to any queries of concerns we raised during the inspection.

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.