The Oaks Care Home

Updated 16 May 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.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection team comprised of 3 inspectors 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 Care Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 19 April 2023 and ended on 26 April 2023. We visited the service on 19 April 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the service, including the previous inspection reports and the warning notices that were served following the last inspection. We also reviewed any notifications we had received about the service. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and 4 relatives. We also spoke with 11 members of staff including the provider who was also the nominated individual, registered manager, deputy manager, a housekeeper, 6 care staff and the chef. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We observed the care provided and also 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, including 5 people's care records in detail, and specific areas of 7 other people's records. Three staff files were reviewed in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, training, staff rotas and policies and procedures were also reviewed. We received feedback from 2 healthcare professionals and 2 social care professionals.

Updated 16 May 2023

About the service

The Oaks Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation in one adapted building for up to 33 people. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service, all of whom were over the age of 65 and some of which were living with dementia.

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

Since the last inspection there had been a number of improvements made to the service. These improvements had resulted in safer care being provided to people living at The Oaks Care Home.

People and relatives told us they felt safe and were happy with the care. They confirmed staff were kind and caring, and we observed positive interactions between staff and people.

People's care plans and risk assessments contained consistent and detailed information in relation to people's needs and how these should be managed. People's health needs and wellbeing were monitored in line with the information highlighted in their care plans and risk assessments.

People were protected from avoidable harm and individual, environmental and infection control risks were managed appropriately. People received their prescribed medicines as required. There were safe arrangements in place for obtaining, storing and disposing of medicines.

Recruitment practices were effective, and people and relatives told us there were enough staff to meet the needs of the people living at the home.

Although we identified actions had been taken to help ensure the service was working within the principles of the MCA, we noted some work was still required. However, we were assured 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 were supported to access appropriate healthcare services when required. Health and social care professionals commented on the improvements in the service over the last two months. They spoke positively about the services ability to manage people's health needs and request support in a timely way.

Staff had received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. They felt well supported by the management team.

The service worked in partnership with other agencies to aid joined up, person centred care provision. Effective and robust quality assurance systems had been developed and implemented to continually assess, monitor and improve the quality of care people received.

The management team were open, approachable and supportive. Everyone was confident they would take actions to address any concerns promptly.

People, relatives and staff were positive about the service and the support they received from the management team and providers. People and staff felt there had been improvements in all aspects of the service since the last inspection.

The management team were open and transparent. They understood their regulatory responsibilities. There were effective governance systems in place to identify concerns in the service and drive improvement.

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 inadequate (published 9 December 2022) and there were multiple breaches of regulations identified. The service was placed in special measures and the provider was issued warning notices telling them they must make improvements and send us an action plan stating how this would be achieved within our timescales.

During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements had been made and no breach of regulations were identified. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection and reviewed the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only. This inspection was completed to ensure that the Warning Notices we previously served to the service in relation to, Regulation 13 (safeguarding), Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) and Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, had been met.

No areas of concern were identified in the other Key Questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for The Oaks Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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