• Care Home
  • Care home

Oakdene Nursing Home

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Ringwood Road, Three Legged Cross, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 6RB (01202) 813722

Provided and run by:
Dorset Healthcare Ltd

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 21 April 2023

The inspection

This was a targeted inspection to check on a concern we had about staffing.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

Oakdene Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Oakdene Nursing Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had recently been recruited and intended to submit an application to register. In the interim, the home was being supported by an on-site regional support manager.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 31 March 2023 and ended on 4 April 2023. We visited the home 31 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we had received since the previous inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who works with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and the cleanliness of the home. We spoke with 8 members of staff including the regional support manager, head of care, senior care assistants, care assistants, receptionist, head of housekeeping, domestic staff, the chef and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke with one professional who visited the service on the day of our inspection.

We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including rotas and cleaning schedules. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Overall inspection

Requires improvement

Updated 21 April 2023

About the service

Oakdene Nursing Home is a care home, providing accommodation for up to 71 people who need nursing or personal care. The service provides support to older people and people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 43 people using the service, all of whom required personal care rather than nursing.

The home consists of two separate buildings within the same grounds, one of which specialises in providing care to people who live with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received their medicines as prescribed. However, we identified some shortfalls in the management of medicines, which the management team immediately addressed. The medicines policy in place during the inspection did not reflect national guidance for covert medication; the provider has since revised their policy.

Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified, assessed and regularly reviewed. However, we found some discrepancies and lack of detail, which the management team addressed when drawn to their attention.

A new audit programme covered all aspects of the service. The management team had identified some areas for improvement through their new audit system and were working to address these, which were broadly consistent with issues we observed. However, audits to date had not identified all the exceptions we found, which robust auditing should have done. The management team was prompt to address matters when we highlighted them. We have made a recommendation about the governance systems within the service.

People and relatives told us they or their loved one felt at ease with kind, caring staff and had confidence in their abilities. Interactions between staff and the people they were supporting were positive and respectful. Recruitment checks helped ensure new staff were of good character.

The premises were kept clean and in good repair. Relatives told us their loved ones had the equipment they needed to help keep them safe.

Call bells were answered promptly. Relatives held the impression that staff did not rush care. Staffing levels exceeded the minimum staffing level calculated by the provider’s staffing dependency tool.

The service’s infection prevention and control policy and procedures, including visiting arrangements, reflected current national guidance. There were ample supplies of PPE which staff used safely.

People and relatives saw the management of the home as caring, approachable and efficient, with no concerns about the recent change in manager. They felt comfortable to raise concerns and complaints, in the confidence that they were listened to and that action would be taken.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 2 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of the service leading to the neglect of people’s care. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

The manager of the service had recently changed and actions were already in place to address the concerns raised.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Oakdene Nursing Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.