Background to this inspection
Updated
20 September 2019
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 was carried out by one 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
Oulton Abbey 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. 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 seven people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the acting manager, nurses, senior care workers, care workers, domestic staff, an activities coordinator and the chef. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
20 September 2019
About the service
Oulton Abbey Care Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 45 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 49 people. Accommodation was provided in a purpose-built home across two floors, with communal areas on each floor.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were positive about the support they received at Oulton Abbey and felt well cared for living there. A person-centred approach was evident at the home. Staff had built effective relationships with people and were kind and caring in their approach. People’s dignity and privacy were respected.
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. However, records in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005(MCA) did not always evidence robust compliance with the MCA and we have made a recommendation in relation to further training around the MCA.
People who lived at Oulton Abbey told us they felt safe. There was a stable staff team and people were supported by familiar staff. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs in an unrushed way and staff had been recruited safely. Safeguarding procedures were in place and staff knew how to report any concerns.
Medicines were managed safely. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and action was taken to manage these as safely as possible. In some cases, records could be developed to identify actions taken to manage risks more clearly. The environment was clean and well maintained.
Staff understood their roles, were well trained and supervised. They felt supported and were kept up to date through regular handovers. The home worked closely with several external health professionals. This helped achieve good outcomes for people. Staff responded to any changes to people’s needs and intervened effectively to prevent further deterioration.
Care records were person-centred and provided staff with guidance about people's needs, preference and life histories. However, they did not always include all relevant information and updates. The management team had already identified this and planned to address this and provide further training. Staff were passionate about end of life care and worked closely with the local hospice to support people well.
People were well supported to take part in meaningful activities and the home had good links with the community. People’s spiritual needs were well met. People felt able to raise any concerns and were given the opportunity to provide feedback about the care they received. There were plans to implement resident and relative meetings.
The previous registered manager had recently left, and the deputy manager had just taken up the permanent manager’s post. The provider planned to make further improvements to the management structure and the acting manager had a clear vision for further improvements to the care provision.
Staff were motivated and engaged with the service, they felt able to raise any concerns. The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the care.
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 1 March 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.