Oasis Care and Training Agency (OCTA)

About the service

Oasis Care and Training Agency is a domiciliary care agency. It provides regulated activity to people living in their own homes. The service provides support to older people, people with learning disabilities or autism, people with physical disabilities and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 186 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

Right Support: People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. They were supported in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making.

Right Care: People were supported by staff who were trained to provide good quality care, support and treatment. People and those important to them, were involved in the planning of care. Staff understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care.

Right Culture: People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff knew them well and understood how to protect them from abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving people and their families and other professionals as appropriate.

We saw 2 right to work in the UK checks for care workers had not been followed up. This was discussed with the registered manager and senior staff team.

The provider had a range of polices and processes in place to keep people safe. People and their relatives told us they felt safe with the care the service provided. A relative told us, “I know my [family member] is safe with them, they treat [family member] like their own family.”

Care workers had the training and experience to ensure people’s care and treatment was effective as well as safe. People told us they thought the care workers were good at their jobs. A relative told us, “When [care worker] do [family members] breakfast, they will do whatever [family member] wants and will use their initiative if I haven’t had time to shop yet.”

People and their relatives told us they thought the service was caring. We received comments like, “The [care workers] are very kind to [family member], they have developed a really good rapport”, and “I do not think there is anything [care worker] wouldn’t do for [family member]. [Care worker] just does it without comment or need for praise.”

People and their relatives told us that thought that the service was responsive, and people’s needs were well met. They told us they thought the service was managed well and senior staff and managers could be accessed when required.

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 22 January 2021).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted by a review of information we held about the service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation in relation to safe recruitment and supporting people with their diet.

Follow up

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

Oasis Care and Training Agency (OCTA) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to younger disabled adults and older people, some living with dementia. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

At the time of the inspection the provider was supporting 113 people with personal care living in the London Boroughs of Greenwich, Lambeth and Croydon.

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

People and their relatives told us they had developed kind and caring relationships with their regular care workers and were treated with respect when they contacted the office. One relative said, “I am comfortable with them in my home and they treat me, my family and my home with respect.”

Where people and their relatives raised issues or concerns with their care and support, the provider worked with them to resolve the problem. The registered manager and his team were proactive with information we received during the inspection and met with people to discuss and resolve their concerns.

People and their relatives thanked the service for how they had been supported during COVID-19 and how they had worked extremely hard to try to minimise any disruption to their services. A comment in a telephone check record stated, ‘My care worker is doing such a good job with everything that is going on and keeping me safe.’

People were supported by a dedicated staff team who felt proud to work for the organisation and spoke positively about the open and friendly working environment. We received many positive comments about how staff had been supported and always had access to the management team for advice, especially during challenging periods throughout the peak of the pandemic.

The provider had monitoring systems in place to ensure people were contacted to check on their health and wellbeing and to give feedback about their care and support. The provider had translated COVID-19 government guidelines for people, their relatives and staff to ensure they fully understood how to stay safe and protect themselves from the virus.

Despite the COVID-19 challenges the service had to deal with immediately after the last inspection, the management team implemented action plans to address issues and strived to make the necessary improvements. Care workers were positive about the training and support they received with a focus on the management of people’s medicines.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 18 April 2020) and there was a breach of regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 18 February 2020. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the management of people’s medicines.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Oasis Care and Training Agency (OCTA) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service. If we receive any concerning information we may return to inspect.

Oasis Care and Training Agency (OCTA) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to younger disabled adults and older people, some living with dementia. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

At the time of the inspection the provider was supporting 115 people in the London Boroughs of Greenwich, Lambeth and Croydon with personal care.

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

People and their relatives were positive about the kind and friendly support they received from their care workers, who had a caring attitude, even when there were varying levels of communication. One person said, “They are always respectful. They ask if they can do anything else for me before they go and they will always help me with things I find difficult.”

Assessments recorded detailed information about people’s preferences to ensure they received personalised care. Care plans included visit summaries for care workers to follow and staff had a good understanding about how people liked to be supported. We saw the provider tried to be flexible when needed to accommodate people’s changing needs.

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 were supported by a committed staff team that praised the support they received from the management team and were positive about the caring and inclusive working environment. Many staff had worked for the provider for a long time and spoke of a ‘welcoming family environment.’

Although there were monitoring processes in place, these were not always effective and did not pick up the issues we found during this inspection.

The provider was aware of this and staff were regularly reminded about their key responsibilities to ensure people’s needs were met and any necessary improvements could be made. One care worker said, “We are all here to support people and our common goal is to improve the service across the whole team.”

A health and social care professional praised the service on how they worked hard to meet people’s needs, especially those with more challenging social and complex issues.

Improvements were needed to ensure people received their medicines safely.

We have made a recommendation that the provider ensures safer recruitment processes are always followed.

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 10 August 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified one breach in relation to medicines management. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Oasis Care and Training Agency is a domiciliary care service, which provides personal care to people in their own homes in 14 London boroughs. At the time of the inspection there were about 216 people using the service.

The service was inspected on 31 August and 2 September 2016, where we found the service was in breach of two regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2010. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘Oasis Care and Training Agency OCTA’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

We undertook a focused inspection on 7 February 2017 in relation to the breaches of regulation we identified at our previous inspection of September 2016. We found that the service had followed their action plan and had made the required improvements. We could not however change the rating for the key questions ‘Is the service safe?’ and ‘Is the service well-led?’ because to do so required a record of consistent good practice.

We undertook an announced comprehensive inspection on 4 July 2017. We gave the registered manager 24 hours’ notice as we needed to be sure they would be available for the inspection. At this inspection we found that the service had sustained the improvements put in place following our previous inspections of September 2016 and February 2017 and met the legal requirements.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

Staff handled and administered medicine to people in a safe way. Staff had been trained in the safe administration of medicines and they understood and followed the organisation’s medicines policy. Risk assessments were carried out and management plans were in place to keep people safe from avoidable harm. Recruitment procedures were safe to ensure only suitable personnel worked with vulnerable people. Staff understood how to recognise signs of abuse and how to protect people from the risk of abuse.

Staff understood their responsibilities within the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff were supported through induction, supervision, appraisal and training to provide an effective service to people. People were supported to eat and drink appropriately and to meet their dietary and nutritional requirements. People were supported to arrange appointments to ensure their health needs were met. Relevant professionals were involved to ensure people received appropriate support and care that met their needs.

People told us staff treated them with kindness and respected their dignity. Staff understood people’s needs, preferences and cared for as they wanted. People and their relatives were involved in their care planning and these were reviewed and updated regularly to reflect people’s changing needs. Staff encouraged and enabled people to do what they can do for themselves to keep them active and maintain their independence.

People and their relatives were given opportunities to share their views about the service. People knew how to complain. The registered manager investigated and responded to complaints and concerns appropriately.

Regular spot checks and audits were carried out to identify shortfalls in the service.

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 31 August and 2 September 2016 and we found three breaches of regulations. The provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet the regulations. We received action plan from the provider stating how they would meet our regulations.

We undertook this announced focused inspection on 7 February 2017 to check that they had followed their plan and to check that they now met the regulations inspected. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provided a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last focused inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Oasis Care and Training Agency on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

At this focused inspection we found the service had implemented comprehensive procedures to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. Staff personnel records contained two references, photographic identification, proof of address and a disclosure and barring services (DBS) record. Where staff had criminal convictions, the service carried out risk assessments to assess their suitability to deliver care and support. Recommendations identified in risk assessments were adhered to.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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.

This focused inspection took place on 7 February 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provided a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

At this focused inspection we found the service had implemented comprehensive procedures to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. Staff personnel records contained two references, photographic identification, proof of address and a disclosure and barring services (DBS) record. Where staff had criminal convictions, the service carried out risk assessments to assess their suitability to deliver care and support. Recommendations identified in risk assessments were adhered to.

People were protected against the risk of harm and abuse. Staff were supported to receive regular safeguarding training, to aid them in recognising the different types of abuse and the correct procedure in reporting suspected abuse. Records showed staff’s understanding of safeguarding was regularly reviewed through supervisions.

People were supported by a service that learned from accidents and incidents. The service recorded incidents and accidents, and took appropriate action in reporting these to relevant professional bodies. Audits of accidents and incidents were undertaken to ensure trends were identified and action taken to minimise the risk of repeat incidents.

People’s complaints were documented and action taken to address their concerns in a timely manner. Records showed complaints were logged centrally and documentation relating to concerns and complaints remained confidential. The service kept records securely to ensure only staff with authorisation had access to confidential records.

Prior to the inspection the CQC had been informed of a concern about an aspect of the service. This was being investigated by other agencies at the time of the inspection. CQC will continue to monitor the progress and outcome of this investigation.

This inspection took place on 31 August and 2 September 2016 and the inspection was announced.

The provider was given 24 hours' notice because the location provided a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

We last inspected the service on 14 and 23 March 2016 and the service was meeting all areas inspected.

People were not always protected against the risk of unsuitable staff. The service did not have robust employment practices. Staff files did not always contain two references and references did not always reflect people’s work history. Records showed that the service did not have adequate systems in place to ensure they had suitable disclosure and barring services [DBS] certificates in place. Where concerns about criminal records were identified, action to ensure people’s safety was not robust or well documented.

People were not always protected against the risk of harm and abuse because the service did not have robust vetting practices in place when employing staff. Staff were aware of the different types of abuse and how to report suspected abuse. Staff had received safeguarding training and were aware of the service whistleblowing policy.

People were at risk as the service did not have robust auditing systems in place. Audits relating to medicines, employment and records did not identify concerns in a timely manner.

People were at risk of unsafe medicine management. The service did not have robust systems in place to ensure people received their medicine in line with good practice. Medicine Administration Recording [MAR] sheets were not always completed correctly. People’s dose, and route of medicine was not always clearly documented.

People were aware of how to raise concerns and complaints, however their concerns were not always recorded appropriately. Staff kept notebooks of concerns and complaints raised, which were not always kept securely in a locked office. The service did not have adequate storage and filing systems in place to ensure records were kept securely and easily obtainable.

People were protected against identified risks. The service had risk assessments in place that identified the risk and gave staff guidance on how to minimise and mitigate the known risk. Risk assessments were reviewed regularly to reflect people’s changing needs. Staff were aware of the importance of reporting any concerns regarding risks to their supervisors.

People received care and support from staff that received on-going training to enhance their skills and knowledge. People received a comprehensive induction that followed the care certificate from skills for care. Staff were shadowed by an experienced staff member, to ensure they were competent in their role prior to lone working.

Staff and the registered manager were aware of their role and responsibilities in providing support to people within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 [MCA]. People’s consent was sought and respected prior to care and treatment being delivered. Staff were aware of the importance of seeking people’s consent. People were supported to access health care professional services when required and agreed in their care package. Staff were aware of the importance of monitoring and reporting concerns regarding people’s health.

People were encouraged to make decisions about the care and support they received. People’s decisions were respected by staff. People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff who respected and promoted their privacy and dignity. People had care plans that were person centred and detailed people’s health and medical needs. Care plans were routinely reviewed to reflect people’s changing needs and people were encouraged to develop their care plans.

The service carried out quality monitoring surveys to gather feedback on the service provision from people. Where areas of concern were identified these were then acted on in a timely manner. The registered manager operated an open door police, where people, their relatives and staff could meet with him at a time that was convenient to them.

After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach. We undertook a focused inspection on14 and 24 March 2016 to check that they had followed their action plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements.

This report covers our findings in relation to this topic. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Oasis Care and Training Academy on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection took place on 14 and 23 march 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours notice of our visit so that they could arrange for people to be available to talk with us about the service.

Oasis care and training academy provides personal care to people in their own homes in the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.’

People were supported to receive their medicines in line with their prescriptions. Staff received regular training on the safe management of medicines. People were protected against known risks. The service had comprehensive risk assessments in place to ensure identified risks were mitigated.

People’s care plans contained comprehensive information including their medical history, likes and dislikes and health care needs. Care plans reflected people’s current health needs and gave staff clear guidance on how to meet people’s care needs. Care plans were reviewed regularly and updated to reflect people’s changing needs.

People were supported by a service that carried out regular reviews of the care and support provided.

An audit and compliance team undertook reviews of staff time keeping to ensure any delayed or missed calls were acted upon immediately. Audits undertaken ensured that live documents were reviewed regularly to reflect changes.

There were positive comments about the care workers and the service in general. A relative of a person using the service said, 'They provide a very valuable service with good humour and dedication.' People said that their care workers were caring and respectful and knew them well. One person said, 'She is so respectful and so caring. I never have to tell her what to do she knows what to do which is a godsend.'

Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard vulnerable adults. The medication policy had been revised and the frequency of care worker training increased to enhance the protection of people using the service against the risks associated with medicines.

Oasis has its own training centre and provides training for its care workers, including English classes, to enable them to provide care safely and to an acceptable standard. We saw that care workers had regular supervision with their line managers.

Oasis regularly evaluated the quality of the service they provided. People who provided feedback told us the office responded promptly to any concerns. One of them said, "They have good communication. I would be happy to ring at any time if I wasn't happy.'