This inspection site visit took place on 3 January 2019 and was unannounced.

This was the first time The Willows had been inspected under its current registration. The home had previously been registered under a different provider and had a different registered manager.

The Willows 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.

The home provides accommodation with personal care for up to 32 older people, including people living with dementia. It does not provide nursing care. At the time of our visit 24 people lived at the home. Accommodation is provided in a two-storey adapted building. The home is located in Coventry, in the West Midlands.

This is the first time the service has been rated Requires Improvement.

The service did not have a registered manager. 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. The provider had appointed a manager who had applied to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). They had been in post since October 2018.

People and relatives spoke highly of staff who they felt were kind and had a positive attitude towards their work. Staff felt valued and supported by the manager. People, relatives and staff felt listened to because they had opportunities to provide feedback about the service.

People felt safe living at The Willows and staff were available when people needed them. The manager and staff understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse and their responsibilities to raise any concerns. Medicines were mostly managed and administered safely.

Some care plans did not contain accurate, detailed or up to date information. Action was being taken to address this. Relatives were involved in care planning and were confident staff had the skills and knowledge needed to meet their family members needs safely.

The provider’s recruitment procedures ensured staff were of a suitable character to provide care and support to people who lived at the home. Staff received an induction when they started working. A programme of on-going training supported staff to meet people's needs effectively. Complaints were managed in line with the provider’s procedure.

People were supported to maintain important relationships and their visitors were welcomed at the home. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

The provider’s systems to check, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided, including the management of risk were not always effective. People and relatives spoke positively about the way the home was managed and the service people received.

People received the support they needed to meet their nutritional needs and had access to health care services when needed. The manager and staff worked in partnership with other health professionals to support people to maintain their health and well-being.

People’s right to privacy and dignity were respected by staff and their independence, where possible, promoted. Staff knew the people they supported well. Some activities were available which people could choose to take part in. However, improvement was needed to ensure activities were meaningful and reflected peoples interests.

We found a breach of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.