Oakfield Lodge

Updated 18 August 2023

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 1 hour notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 2 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, an administrator and 4 care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people’s care records and multiple medicine administration records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to their recruitment. We also viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 18 August 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Oakfield Lodge is registered to provide care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing in London Borough of Redbridge. Not everyone who lived in the housing received personal care from the service. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service. People using the service lived in their own flats or bungalows within a gated community where there were 73 properties. The service was providing personal care to 19 people at the time of the inspection.

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

Right Support

Staff were recruited with people’s safety in mind. There were enough staff to support people safely. Staff received an induction when they began employment to ensure they could support people correctly. People were supported to access health care services and the service understood risks and needs of their various health conditions. People were supported to eat and drink healthily.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People told us their consent was sought before care was provided.

People and relatives were able to be involved with decisions about care. However, care plan reviews with social workers were not always as regular as they should be. The registered manager implemented a new way of ensuring care was reviewed following the inspection. Care plans were person centred and captured people’s needs. People’s communication needs were met. People were able to take part in activities and supported to avoid social isolation. The service was able to support people who were at the end of their lives.

Right Care

Risks to people were recorded, monitored and managed. Medicines were managed safely. The service sought to keep people safe from infection through good infection prevention and control. People’s needs were assessed before they began using the service to ensure their needs would be met adequately. Staff received regular training to ensure they could continue to care for people in the right way. People were well treated and supported; people and relatives told us staff were caring. People’s privacy, dignity was respected, and their independence promoted. People were cared for by staff who knew them. Managers and staff were clear about their roles and knew their responsibilities towards the safety of people. The registered manager understood duty of candour and the regulatory requirements placed on them.

Right culture

The service had systems and process in place to protect people from abuse. Lessons were learned when things went wrong. Incidents and accidents were recorded, and actions take to lessen further risks to people. Staff had supervision to provide them with the support they needed to do their jobs properly. People’s equality and diversity was respected. People and relatives were able to complain and if they did the service responded appropriately. The service promoted a positive culture which was person centred. People and relatives were complimentary about staff and management. People and staff were able to engage with the service. The service worked with others to the benefit of people it cared for.

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 14 January 2020) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after that inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. We completed a further inspection (published 16 March 2020) to check they had complied with their action plan and that they were no longer in breach of regulations. At this inspection we found improvements had been maintained.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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.