Woodcroft in Shropshire, providing care to adults, some with dementia, has been rated overall outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.
It was rated outstanding in the caring and responsive aspects of the report, and the safe, effective and well-led elements received a score of good, after the inspection, 15 March 2019.
CQC inspectors identified that Fitzwilliam House was fully resident led. Staff involved residents as much as possible in decisions about their care and what went on in the home.
Comments that the CQC received about the care that was provided and the staff who worked in the home was overwhelmingly positive. One person said, "Staff here are very good, always happy and jolly and do what they need too" and another person said, "Staff are wonderful, no trouble at all, no criticisms of the staff."
A resident had lived in the home for a long time and their needs had changed significantly resulting in them needing to stay in bed for their comfort and them not wanting to be around other people. The staff considered what they could do to make the person as comfortable as possible. The person had lived in a rural area all their life and had enjoyed nature. The staff looked at how they could support the person to continue to enjoy this whilst keeping them safe and supporting their preference to stay in their room. A large 3D style wall transfer was purchased and placed on the wall in the person's bedroom where they could see it from their bed. The transfer gave the illusion of a window looking out into a forest. They also purchased a white noise machine which was used to give gentle sounds of a forest such as birds singing.
The home had identified that people living in the home often mixed up their zimmer frames. It became apparent that using the wrong one placed them at risk. The home introduced an initiative called 'Pimp my Zimmer'. This involved people personalising their zimmerframe so they were able to recognise their own.
This helped to reduce anxiety and make the frames distinguishable from the background and easier to see. One person had frequently become anxious because they couldn't identify their zimmer and they would either select the wrong one or try to walk without it and fall over. They had selected purple and their zimmer had been spray painted this colour. They said "I love my frame because I know it's mine now. I am very happy with it." Since the frame had been personalised the person had not had any further falls.
