The Willows

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (report published 28 January 2026), and we identified 2 breaches of the legal regulations. We undertook this inspection to see if improvements had been made to the safety and quality of the service.

At this inspection, the service remained in breach of the legal regulations in relation to governance of the service and safe care and treatment. This was the 9th consecutive inspection we have found the service was not meeting the requirements of the regulations, with a continued breach of regulation 17 (good governance) and a second consecutive breach of regulation 12 (safe care and treatment).

Some improvements had been made, including a cleaner environment, however some concerns remained. There were gaps in risk management, staff training and competency, and medicines management, alongside environmental and safety issues.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to promote privacy and dignity and spoke positively about the relationships they had built with people, which was supported by feedback from relatives and professionals who noted improved interactions. Staff felt well supported and person-centred care planning had improved. However, care planning for behaviours of distress lacked detail, and there was a reliance on medication rather than proactive strategies.

Governance systems were not consistently effective and failed to identify key issues found during inspection. A new manager was in post and improvements made by them were not yet fully embedded. However, the provider and manager promoted an open culture, sought feedback from staff, and supported them to raise concerns. Staff felt well supported, and partnership working with external professionals was generally positive, with appropriate referrals made and people able to access healthcare services.