Archived: Oakley Care Home

There was a registered manager in place who was also the owner. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection in October 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Oakley Care Home operated as a family home and the two people who lived there at the time of the inspection visit had done so for a number of years as part of the family unit. One person who lived at the home said, “[Owner] is like a mum to us, especially to me. I feel so much better since coming here.”

Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. People at Oakley Care Home and a relative we spoke with told us they felt safe and people were cared for.

The registered provider/owner with part time support from a family member, provided care and guidance for the people who lived at Oakley. No staff had been recruited since the last inspection

We looked around the premises and found it had been maintained, was clean and hygienic and a safe place for people to live. We found equipment had been serviced and maintained as required.

Medicines were managed in line with people’s needs. People had signed to say they would self-medicate with support when required from the provider/owner.

We observed during the inspection visit friendly interactions between the owner and people who lived at the home. We saw the owner was able to communicate well with people they supported and cared for.

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.

People who lived at Oakley Care Home said meals were of a good standard. They said alternatives were available if they did not like what was being made by the owner. One person commented, “[Owner] is a very good cook.”

We found people had access to healthcare professionals and records were kept of outcomes of visits and what action was taken to meet their healthcare needs.

The service had information with regards to support from an external advocate should this be required by them.

The service had a complaints procedure which was made available to people on their admission to the home and their relatives. The people we spoke with told us they were happy with the service and had no complaints.

The owner was familiar with what support and care people who lived at the home required. People were supported to lead full and varied lives and were supported to form relationships within the local community. One person who lived at the home said, “I enjoy going out to visit [friend]. [Owner] does worry but I am alright and tell her as to where I am going.”

There was no formal internal quality assurance in place but informal checks were made routinely. Everyone talked together daily to discuss any plans or changes and events they wished to attend. Decisions were made as a family unit. One of the people who lived at the home said, “We choose what we want to do. I like the gym and keeping fit so [owner] encourages me.”

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people living at the home and from looking at records. No staff were employed at the home as this is a family run home with two residents. We also had responses from external agencies including social services .This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at Oakley Care Home.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Discussion with the owner confirmed she was aware of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This should enable them to assess peoples' mental capacity should there be concerns about their ability to make decisions for themselves.

From our observations during the day, we found people were treated with respect and dignity by the owner as part of the family. People living at the home told us they felt safe. One person said, 'I love it here and feel safe.' A relative we spoke with said, 'My son is treated so well and we feel at peace that he is safe and so well cared for.'

Service contracts were in place confirming the building was maintained and a safe place for people to live.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed with them, and they were involved in developing their plans of care where possible. Relatives views were also sought to ensure people received the right care to meet their needs.

Relatives we spoke with said they were able to see people in private and visiting times were flexible.

Is the service caring?

People living at the home were supported and encouraged to live an independent lifestyle as much as possible by the owner. We saw the owner showed patience and gave encouragement when supporting people. One person living at the home we spoke with said, 'I go out on my own and feel well looked after.'

Is the service responsive?

We saw people received regular health checks with their General Practitioner. The owner might like to note care records we looked at should show more evidence of involvement from external agencies including social services and health professionals. The evidence we saw confirmed people were receiving support from a range of services able to respond to emergency situations.

The two people living at the home were able to live an independent lifestyle with support from the manager. One person was out in the community on her own at the time of the inspection. The owner said, 'That was her choice, she is very independent and we encourage that.' Comments from recent reviews from social services told us one person had 'significantly benefited from living at Oakley Care Home'.

Is the service well-led?

This is a small family run home, therefore the owner had a range of informal systems in place in to monitor the quality of the care and support being provided. This included regular contact from social workers on a weekly basis, contact with relatives and general conversation with the two people living at the home. This helped to ensure people received a high standard of care at all times. One relative we spoke with said, 'We see our relative all the time and speak with J' she is always talking with us.'

People told us how much they enjoyed living At Oakley care home. They said it was nice and peaceful and that they were like a family. People said they were encouraged and supported to develop skills and independence. They told us that they knew they had support from the owner and the member of staff when they needed it.

People said that they enjoyed the meals. The owner and member of staff encouraged people to eat healthily as much as possible. However they also encouraged people to choose the foods they liked.

The house was pleasantly furnished and safe. It was warm and comfortable and people had a choice of communal areas to relax in.

The owner told us that she encouraged people to share their views on the home by asking their opinions on a daily basis. She also held informal meetings to seek people's views.

People told us they were happy and had no complaints or concerns. They added that they knew how to make a complaint if they wanted to, but said they had no reason to.