Willowbrook, Birmingham

The Care Quality Commission has found Willowbrook to be Outstanding.

Inspectors rated the care home in Birmingham, West Midlands as Outstanding for being caring and well-led and good for being safe, effective and responsive following the 1 November 2018 inspection.

Willowbrook is a care home for people living with dementia and or enduring mental health conditions.

The service supported people living with advanced dementia who may demonstrate behaviours that challenge services. Many of the people living in the service were unable to access community resources. Staff worked innovatively and creatively to enable people to partake in new experiences or to continue to access meaningful activities that enhanced their quality of life. To support this the provider has developed an in-house cinema, barbers, pub and sensory room that recreated a beach experience for people.

A relative that CQC inspectors spoke with told them how staff are always looking for opportunities to enhance people's lives at Willowbrook, "On a nice day they will pack something like scampi and chips which they can take into the pavilion in the garden. It creates the impression that they are going out for the day."

A healthcare professional said, "Let's put it this way, if my dad had dementia, this is where I'd want him to be."

Throughout the visit inspectors observed interactions between staff and people that were compassionate, warm and showed that people were valued. This absolute focus on people and improving their experience of living in the home resulted in people experiencing enhanced outcomes and an improved quality of life.