Oak Tree Lodge is registered to provide accommodation and support for up to 19 older people who may also be living with dementia. This home is not registered to provide nursing care. On the day of our visit 19 people were living at the home. The home is located in Ashurst on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. The home has two large living rooms, conservatory / dining area and kitchen. People’s private rooms are on both the ground and first floors. There is a passenger lift to the first floor. The home has a garden and a patio area that people are actively encouraged to use.
The inspection on 29 and 30 June 2015 was unannounced.
There was a registered manager at the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Some areas required improvement. Risk assessments were not always reviewed or updated when peoples needs changed.
Staff understood the needs of the people and care was provided with kindness and compassion. People, relatives and health care professionals told us they were very happy with the care and described the service as excellent. A visiting health care professional told us, “I have the utmost confidence that staff provide excellent care. I have no concerns at all regarding anyone living there. The home always contact us if they are unsure or need advice”.
People were supported to take part in activities they had chosen. One person said, “I love living here. The staff are very kind and look after all of us very well”.
Staff were appropriately trained and skilled to ensure the care delivered to people was safe and effective.
People and relative’s told us they were asked for feedback and encouraged to voice their opinions about the quality of care provided. The home routinely listened and learned from people and visitor experiences through annual resident/ relatives’ survey. The surveys gained the views of people living at the home and their relatives and were used to monitor and where necessary improve the service.
Where people lacked the mental capacity to make decisions the home was guided by the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure any decisions were made in the person’s best interests.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The registered manager understood when an application should be made and how to submit one. The registered manager was aware of a recent Supreme Court Judgement which widened and clarified the definition of a deprivation of liberty.
Staff talked to people in a friendly and respectful manner. People told us staff had developed good relationships with them and were attentive to their individual needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity at all times and interacted with people in a caring and professional manner. People told us they felt staff were always kind and respectful to them.
Staff told us they were encouraged to raise any concerns about possible abuse. One member of staff said, “We talk about abuse all the time. How to recognise it and what to do if we thought someone was being abused. I know if we have concerns we can speak to the manager and she would report it”.
People and relatives knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. The complaints procedure was displayed in the home. It included information about how to contact the ombudsman, if they were not satisfied with how the service responded to any complaint. There was also information about how to contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
We have made a recommendation about how the provider can minimise the risk relating to the health and welfare of people using the service. You will find this in the safe section of this report.
We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.