The inspection took place on 16 and 17 August and was unannounced.

Woodlands Court Care 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. Woodlands Court Care home provides nursing and residential care and accommodates 35 people across two buildings. There were 31 people living at the home when we inspected.

There was a registered manager for the home. 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.

At the previous inspection the service was rated as requires improvement, at this inspection the provider had made the necessary improvements and the service was rated as good.

People’s medicines were administered safely. However, stock counts were not always completed and action was not taken when issues were identified.

People’s care plans accurately reflected their needs and planned how to keep them safe from any identified risks. Care was delivered in line with their care plans.

People told us the service was well led and the provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided. However, they had not identified the concerns around medicines and would care recording.

People were happy with the food offered to them and staff referred people to other healthcare professionals if they had any concerns about people’s nutrition.

People knew how to complain and were confident complaints would be resolved.

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.

The provider’s recruitment processes ensured that staff were safe to work with vulnerable people and for most of the time there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Where needed agency staff were used to fill the rota. Staff received training and support which enabled them to provide safe care for people.

Most staff were kind and caring and people were offered choices in their everyday lives and their privacy was respected. People’s end of life wishes were recorded and relatives were supported to spend as much time as possible with people at this difficult time.

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 10 February 2017.

Woodlands Court Care Home can provide accommodation, nursing and personal care for 54 older people and people who live with dementia. There were 46 people living the service at the time of our inspection. The accommodation is provided in two buildings that are next door to each other. One building is a two storey older property to which staff refer as being the, ‘house’. The other property provides purpose-built single storey accommodation to which staff refer as being the, ‘bungalows’.

The service was run by a company who was the registered provider. There was 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. In this report when we speak both about the company and the registered manager we refer to them as being, ‘the registered persons’.

Suitable steps had not always been taken to avoid preventable accidents and parts of the accommodation were not clean. Medicines were not always being managed in the right way. Staff knew how to respond to any concerns that might arise so that people were kept safe from abuse, including financial mistreatment. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed.

Some areas of the accommodation were not well decorated or maintained. Staff knew how to care for people in the right way and they had received training and guidance. People enjoyed their meals and were assisted to eat and drink enough. Staff ensured that people received all of the healthcare they needed.

The registered persons had ensured that people’s rights were respected by helping them to make decisions for themselves. The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to report on what we find. These safeguards protect people when they are not able to make decisions for themselves and it is necessary to deprive them of their liberty in order to keep them safe. In relation to this, the registered persons had taken the necessary steps to ensure that people only received lawful care that respected their rights.

People’s right to privacy was not fully promoted. Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. Confidential information was kept private.

People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and they had been given all of the assistance they needed. People had been helped to pursue their hobbies and interests and there was a system for quickly and fairly resolving complaints.

Quality checks had not always effectively resolved problems in the running of the service. People had been consulted about the development of their home and the service was run in an open and inclusive way. Good team work was promoted and staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns. People had benefited from staff acting upon national good practice guidance.

We inspected Woodlands Court Care Home on 16 December 2014. The inspection was unannounced. The last inspection took place on 12 December 2013 during which we found there were no breaches in regulations.

Woodlands Court Care Home provides care and treatment for up to 54 older people, some of whom may experience needs related to dementia. There are two units in the home; one called The Bungalows and the other called The House. There were 46 people living within the two units on the day of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 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.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves.

At the time of the inspection no-one who lived at the home had their freedom restricted. People’s rights were also protected by staff who understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and followed the correct procedures.

People liked living in the home and felt safe there. They were involved in planning and reviewing their care and were able to voice their opinions and views about how the service was run. Appropriate equipment was available for them to help maintain as much independence as they could.

There was an open and inclusive atmosphere within the home. Relatives were consulted about people’s care where appropriate and felt welcome in the home whenever they visited.

People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint or raise concerns and there were systems in place to manage them.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. They were recruited, trained and supported to meet people’s needs in the right way.

People’s health, safety and well being was protected by staff who understood how to identify, assess and manage any risks or concerns related to people’s care. People had access to appropriate healthcare professionals and support services and their medicines were managed safely. They were also provided with a nutritious and varied diet that took account of their likes, dislikes and preferences.

Staff treated people with warmth and kindness and showed respect for their privacy, dignity and opinions. Staff listened to their views and made any changes to their care and support that they wished for.

Systems were in place for on-going assessment and monitoring of the quality of services provided for people. Actions were taken as result of any issues identified.

The service provided care and support in two buildings. One was referred to as 'The Bungalows' and the other as 'The House,' where people who lived with dementia were cared for.

We spoke with nine people who used the service about their experiences of the service they were provided with. People told us that they were happy living in the service. One person said, “If everywhere was like this there would be no problems, I don't want for anything." Another person said, “I am happy, couldn't be any better.” Another said, “It is a good place, I get on okay with everyone.”

We looked at the care records of six people who used the service and found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. We found that the service worked with other professionals involved in people's care to ensure they were provided with a consistent service. People's comments and concerns were listened to and acted upon.

Staff training records that were seen showed that they were trained to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

We looked around the service and found it to be clean and hygienic. We saw records which showed that the health and safety in the service was regularly checked to ensure people were provided with a safe environment to live in.

We conducted a Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI 2). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us as some people living in the home had a dementia.

We observed staff interacting with people who use the service. There was a good rapport between staff and the people living in the home. We saw staff treat people in a respectful manner. Staff always addressed the person by their preferred name. We saw staff knock on doors before entering people’s bedrooms.

We spoke with people who told us care staff responded to their individual needs. One person said, “I didn’t want to lose my independence, so I keep my medicine in a lock drawer in my room.”

We observed staff giving safe care to people. We did not see any evidence of restriction or restraint. People were respected at all times.

We saw the home had policies and procedures to protect people from harm.

We spoke to people who used the service. They told us they felt valued and staff listened to them.

We spoke with three people who told us they were very happy at Woodlands Court. One person who used the service for day care told us “I look forward to coming here. The food is very good and I join in activities and enjoy the company.” Another person said “I am always busy. I like playing bingo, reading and knitting. In the good weather we go out a lot.”

All the people we spoke with told us the food was very good. One person said “I have whatever I want to eat. I enjoy a cooked breakfast and it’s never too much trouble.” Another person told us “there is always plenty to eat and lots of fresh fruit we can help ourselves to.”

We observed people to be very relaxed and content and this was confirmed by those we spoke with. “I have lived here for many years and am very happy.”

A relative told us “I have been visiting my relative for four years and have never had any worries. When they came here, they couldn’t walk but can now take themselves off to the toilet. The staff have always been dedicated to making people’s lives better.”

Another relative told us “The standard of care here is second to none. All the staff are attentive and patient. I respect and admire them all.”