Oakenshaw House

Updated 5 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 27 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 5 February 2022

About the service:

Oakenshaw House provides accommodation, care and support for up to five people with a learning disability. The service does not provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection there were four people living in the home. The size of service meets current best practice guidance. This promotes people living in a small domestic style property to enable them to have the opportunity of living a full life.

Oakenshaw House is an older detached property set in its own grounds. The home is part of a wider service provision which includes a day care facility, respite care and supported living.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service provided care and support that placed people at the heart of their care, promoted their right to be independent and to determine how they lived their lives. All people spoken with had nothing but praise for the service and the excellent quality of life people living in the service experienced. They told us staff were passionate about providing an excellent service to people and changing people's lives. People's rights to privacy, dignity, and freedom of choice were firmly embedded into the culture of the home. Staff embraced people's diversity and this was reflected in the support plans we saw.

People told us they felt safe and staff were kind and caring. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Recruitment and matching processes ensured new staff were suitable to work in the home and outcomes for people were very positive. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people's needs in a flexible and safe way. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency checked. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People were supported to take positive risks, ensuring they had maximum choice and control of their lives. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. The home was clean and odour free. There was an open and transparent culture in relation to accidents and incidents and they were used as opportunities to learn and reduce risks.

People's needs were met through detailed assessments and support planning. Staff worked with other healthcare professionals to improve people’s quality of life and to ensure positive outcomes for them. Staff received training, support and supervision that ensured people's needs were well met. People enjoyed the meals and were involved in shopping for and preparing meals. They were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and had access to various healthcare professionals, when needed. People with complex health needs received high quality and consistent care and support which improved their quality of life.

All people spoken with, told us staff were very kind and caring. Staff knew people exceptionally well and supported them to maintain relationships with people that mattered to them. Staff encouraged people to develop their independence, improve their self-esteem and enabled them to live the life they wanted. We saw examples of how people were supported to learn new skills which had enhanced their independence and confidence. People were empowered to express their views as part of daily conversations, various forums and in-house meetings. People were treated with the utmost dignity and respect.

Each person had been involved in developing a support plan, which reflected exactly how the person wanted to be supported and what they wanted to achieve. We saw excellent examples of how people had been supported to achieve their aspirations. People’s lives had been improved and enriched through meaningful and exciting activities, hobbies and interests which had enhanced their quality of life. The service responded well to concerns or complaints and people knew how to feedback their experiences.

The values of the service were known to staff and people using the service. Staff told us they received very good support from management and they felt valued and extremely proud to work for the service. The culture of the service was open and transparent and people were empowered to voice their opinions. Without exception, people told us the service was well-managed and they would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

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.

The principles and values of Registering the Right Support other best practice guidance ensure people with a learning disability and or autism who use a service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes that include control, choice and independence. At this inspection the provider had ensured they were applied.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways: people’s choice, independence and control were promoted and their support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible to gain new skills and become more independent.

Rating at last inspection:

The service was registered with us in July 2018, and has not been rated before.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection of a new service.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe and high-quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates.

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