Woodrow Cottage

This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides an overview of the inspection of Woodrow Cottage, a residential care home. The inspection assessed the service across five key areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. The overall findings indicate that improvements are needed in all these areas, with specific attention drawn to inconsistencies in care delivery and record-keeping. The report details the findings from the inspection visit on November 23-24, 2022, and the subsequent publication date of March 7, 2023.

Regarding safety, care plans were generally detailed, but some inconsistencies presented a risk of support not always being person-centred. Medication records were also not consistently accurate, and while staff were aware of safeguarding procedures, concerns were raised about safety shortfalls in the annex area. For effectiveness, care plans for most residents were comprehensive and supported well-being. However, some documentation lacked clarity, and induction records for agency staff were not always sufficient to demonstrate thorough training.

In terms of how caring the service is, staff generally interacted well with residents, but there were instances where language used in care documents and discussions about residents was not always respectful. While staff respected residents' privacy and supported their choices, there were observations of residents being left unsupervised in rooms during maintenance work. When considering responsiveness, care plans were mostly person-centred, but some lacked specific details on important aspects like communication support or the rationale for restrictions. The service is working with the local authority to improve its planning and ensure residents' needs are met effectively.

Finally, concerning how well the service is led, the report notes that while staff received training and knew residents well, there were governance and auditing system issues identified. The absence of a registered manager at the time of inspection, though a new manager has since been approved, contributed to instability. Relatives and professionals expressed positive views on recent changes and improvements being made, particularly with staffing in the annex.