Willowmere is an extra care housing scheme that provides accommodation for up to 79 people in their own apartments. SOS Homecare Ltd, the registered provider, provides personal care to some of the people who live there. At the time of our inspection, 22 people were receiving personal care from SOS Homecare Ltd.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good and, at this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

At our last inspection on 24 May 2015, we found a breach of Regulations of the Health and Social Care 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This breach related to the lack of an effective complaints handling system at the service. The provider sent us an action plan setting out the improvements they intended to make. At this inspection, we found the provider had made improvements to the service.

People still felt safe living at the home, and the staff supporting them understood how to recognise and report abuse. The risks to people had been assessed, kept under review, and plans developed to manage these. Staffing levels at the service ensured people received a consistent and reliable service. People received support and assistance with their medicines from trained staff.

People still had confidence in the knowledge and skills of staff employed at Willowmere. Staff participated in a rolling programme of training designed to enable them to work safely and effectively. Some staff lacked understanding of people’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the mental capacity assessments completed were not decision-specific or appropriately recorded. People had enough to eat and drink, and received the support they needed to collect or prepare their meals. Staff helped people to access healthcare services in the event they were unwell.

Staff approached their work with a kind and caring attitude, and took the time to get to know people well. People's involvement in care planning and other decision-making affecting them was encouraged. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood the need to promote their rights.

People received care and support shaped around their individual needs and requirements. Staff understood the need to work in accordance with people’s care plans. Most people knew how to raise complaints and concerns about their care, and felt comfortable doing so. People’s complaints were recorded and responded to in line with the provider’s complaints procedure.

Most people felt the home was well managed and found the registered manager approachable. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager, and were clear what was expected of them. The provider carried out quality assurance activities to monitor and improve the quality of the service people received.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We spent time talking with four people who were very satisfied with the quality of service. All were positive about the care and support provided by staff. All of the people were aware of their care plan and the information it contained about them. People said that staff came to visit and review their care and support regularly.

People who used the service told us that staff understood their needs and kept them safe. They were comfortable with raising concerns if they needed to; none had done so to date.

Medication was kept in each person’s flat. All medication was administered by staff from a monitored dosage system or a medication compliance aid.

The four people we spoke to were very happy with the staff, comments made included "Excellent staff know what they’re doing" and "Fantastic I can't fault them, they assist me with all of my personal care." The training programme is monitored by the manager who told us that he is liaising with all 17 care staff working at Willomere to check they are up to date. The three staff records looked at had training records that showed they were up to date with mandatory training.

The service had a quality assurance procedure in place that ensures they are continually working to improve services for the people living at Willomere. There was a complaints procedure that was displayed on all notice boards throughout the building. People spoken with told us they would talk to the manager if they were not happy.

This inspection took place on 24 February and 10 March 2015. The inspection was unannounced on the first day but we gave 24 hours’ notice of our second visit.

Willowmere is an extra care housing scheme which can provide accommodation for up to 79 people. People live in their own apartments either as owner occupiers or as tenants.

SOS Homecare Limited (the registered provider) provides a well-being service to all the people who live in Willowmere. The registered provider also provides further personal care (or home care) to some people who live there. Most of the personal care service is commissioned by the local authority.

There is a registered manager at Willowmere. 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 who used the homecare service felt safe and staff knew how to keep them safe. The staff were well-trained and the provider had made the necessary enquiries to make sure that they were suitable to work in providing personal care. Many of the staff had worked at Willowmere either since it opened or for most of the time since then and so there was good continuity of care. This was also helped by the close liaison which the registered manager maintained with other services and with the registered social landlord which provides the accommodation, as well as with the local authority.

Some care planning documentation was incomplete and we have recommended that the provider takes steps to remedy this. The registered provider had not maintained adequate records of complaints. This was in breach of regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010, which corresponds to regulation 16 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.