Background to this inspection
Updated
21 September 2019
Background to this inspection
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of one inspector, an assistant inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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
The Oaks is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we had received about the service since the last inspection. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with eight people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, team leader, care workers, the chef and housekeeper.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
We used a Short Observational Framework (SOFI) for inspection. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people, who could not talk to us.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
21 September 2019
About the service
The Oaks Residential Home is a care home, providing personal and nursing care for up to 42 people aged 58 and over. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting 39 people in one adapted building across 5 separate wings. One of the wings specialised in providing care to 8 older people with learning disabilities. People in this wing had needs that were similar to other residents living at the home. People received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate for them and supported independence, choice and inclusion in the home and local community.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe care and told us they felt safe. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to keep people safe from abuse and discrimination. People were protected from the risk of harm.
People told us there were enough staff and they received care that was un-rushed. People told us they thought staff were well trained and had the skills to provide for their care needs.
People told us, “It is a very happy and relaxed home, I think it is excellent. We have our hair done, we play the lottery and we play games.”
People received their medicines as prescribed, in a safe and timely way, from staff who were adequately trained.
People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and mealtimes were a pleasant experience.
People's care plans were person centred and staff had the information they needed to respond to people’s health conditions. Technology was used to reduce risk for people and to support them to be as independent as possible.
People were supported to maintain hobbies and interests and family and friends were welcomed to visit.
The service was well led, people had the opportunity to give their views about how the service was run. Staff felt well supported by the management team. Systems were in place to monitor accidents, incidents and complaints to learn lessons and make improvements.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. People were supported to experience new opportunities by accessing different activities. People’s independence and inclusion was supported, and people could access all the facilities in the home and in the local community. People were offered choice of what care they received and what they did on a daily basis.
The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act. 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.
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 (report published 6 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.