Forest Oaks

Updated 16 June 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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 team consisted of two inspectors. An Expert by Experience contacted people’s relatives by telephone after the inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Forest Oaks 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. Forest Oaks is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. The registered manager was overseeing Forest Oaks alongside managing Little Haven Nursing Home another of the providers services. A new manager commenced in post on the first day of our inspection however had not begun their registration application.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 12 people and one relative about their experiences of care at Forest Oaks. We spoke with 11 staff including the interim manager, the receptionist, the housekeeping supervisor, the CEO / nominated individual, health care assistants, senior health care assistants and registered nurses. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed two care records, multiple medicines records, five staff recruitment records and a range of other documents relating to the premises and service delivery.

After the inspection, an Expert by Experience telephoned 28 relatives and spoke with eight about the service their family member received at Forest Oaks.

Updated 16 June 2022

About the service

Forest Oaks is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 46 people. The service provides support to older people and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 37 people using the service.

Forest Oaks provides residential and nursing care to people in two separate wings of a purpose-built care home. There were three floors accessed by stairs and a passenger lift, providing accommodation and personal care to people needing residential care, and a wing for people who needed nursing care. There were various communal areas which included a large restaurant style dining room, lounge areas and an activity room. There was also a garden accessible from communal areas and some bedrooms.

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

People were cared for by staff trained in safeguarding who were confident concerns shared would be acted on. Risks were assessed to minimise potential harm to people and the premises were well maintained with regular servicing and checks taking place of equipment.

Staff were safely recruited and completed an in-depth induction. We received mixed feedback about staffing levels however these were increased during our inspection.

Medicines were safely managed, and an electronic medicines administration record had recently been introduced. The premises were very clean with no malodours.

There had been several changes to the manager over recent years that staff found unsettling. A new manager commenced in post on the first day of our inspection and the addition of team leaders was planned to reduce pressure on registered nurses.

The CEO and an interim manager had been overseeing the service which staff told us gave stability. The registered manager was based at another of the providers services.

Robust auditing ensured the service was safe and compliant and learning was taken and shared from accidents and incidents.

Positive working relationships had been forged with health and social care professionals and in the local community.

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 17 October 2018).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing levels and a high turnover of managers. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only

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.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. 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 remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Forest Oaks 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.