Westlands Retirement Home

Westlands Retirement Home is a 'care home.' People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Westlands Retirement Home accommodates up to 51 people some of whom may be living with dementia, across two linked units. On the day of the inspection, 49 people were accommodated.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were kept safe from the risk of abuse as staff had undertaken relevant training and understood their responsibilities to protect people. Risks to people both as individuals and from their environment had been identified, assessed and managed safely. There were sufficient staff to provide people's care. The provider followed safe staff recruitment practices. People's medicines were safely managed within the service by trained staff who followed good practice guidance. Staff followed infection control guidance to ensure people were kept safe from the risk of acquiring an infection. Learning took place following incidents and processes were in place to identify any trends that needed to be addressed for people.

People's care needs were assessed prior to their admission. The planning of their care considered good practice guidance, to ensure it was effective. Staff were supported in their role through the provision of an induction, on-going training, supervision and professional development. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts for their needs. Risks to people from dehydration and malnutrition were assessed and managed effectively. Processes were in place to promote effective working both within the team and with other services. People were supported to access healthcare professionals as required and staff had undertaken relevant training to support them in recognising promptly if people's health was deteriorating. Parts of the service were being refurbished and enhanced for people's use and enjoyment. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

We observed care and support was given to people throughout the day, in a kindly manner. Staff supported people to be involved in making decisions about their care where possible. People were treated with dignity and respect by the staff who provided their care.

People received care that was responsive to their needs. People and their families were involved in their care planning, which reflected their care needs and preferences. Staff had undertaken relevant training to enable them to be responsive to the needs of people whose behaviours could be challenging. People were

provided with daily activities to stimulate them and could have visitors when they wished. People's concerns and complaints had been used to improve the quality of the care provided. Staff had completed training and were undertaking further training to enable them to support people appropriately at the end of their life.

People told us the service was well-led. The new registered manager had fostered a positive culture within the service, with staff feeling pride and commitment to their work. The registered manager had submitted notifications as legally required. People's views on the service were sought and used to improve the service. Processes were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. The service had good working relationships with local services.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found