Oaklodge Care Home

Updated 1 January 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 2 December 2020 and was announced.

Updated 1 January 2021

Oaklodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

Oaklodge provides accommodation and care for up to 36 older people, including people with physical frailty and some who are living with dementia. Respite care is also part of the service provided at Oaklodge. There was lift and stairway access to all three floors in the home.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The service met all relevant fundamental standards related to staff recruitment, training and the care people received. They received the timely care they needed. However a partial fault in the fire alarm system had been detected during routine maintenance and repairs were on-going when we inspected. Until the completion of repairs additional precautionary measures had been taken to protect people from the risk of fire so they remained consistently safe. We subsequently received information after our inspection confirming that the fire alarm fault had been professionally rectified following the installation of a new system.

People’s care was regularly reviewed with them so they received the timely care they needed. 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.

Staff were friendly, kind and compassionate. They responded to people in a timely way whenever they needed assistance. Staff had insight into people’s capabilities and aspirations. They respected people's diverse individual preferences for the way they liked to receive their care and participate in activities they enjoyed.

People’s healthcare needs met. They had access to community based healthcare professionals, such as GP’s and nurses, and had regular check-ups. They received timely medical attention when needed. Medicines were safely managed.

People were supported to have a balanced diet and they had enough to eat and drink. They said the meals were enjoyable with plenty of choices to suit their tastes.

The provider and registered manager led staff by example and enabled the staff team to deliver individualised care that consistently achieved good outcomes for all people using the service. There were arrangements in place for the service to make sure that action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong so that the quality of care across the service was improved.