Archived: Oakwood

Updated 21 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 05 February 2018 and was announced. It was carried out by an Adult Social Care Inspection manager. The manager was given 48 hours’ notice because the location is a small care home for adults who may be out during the day; we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

Before the inspection we contacted Wirral Council contracts department. They told us that they had no concerns about the service. We looked at all of the information that CQC had received about and from, the service since the last inspection. This included notifications about issues that had happened in the service.

During the inspection we looked at all parts of the premises. We spoke with the registered manager, and two other members of staff. We met with four people who lived at the home and we spoke with two relatives on the telephone following the inspection. We observed staff interacting with people in the home. We looked at medication audit records, staff rotas and training records and we also looked at maintenance records. We looked at care records for two of the people who lived at the home.

Updated 21 March 2018

The inspection of Oakwood took place on 05 February 2018 and was announced.

Oakwood 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 is registered to provide accommodation for up to six people who require support and care in their daily lives.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained good and achieved a rating of outstanding in the safe domain.

The care service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. We saw that people with learning disabilities and autism who used the service were able to live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

During the inspection the home demonstrated that they worked in innovative and creative ways to support people to lead as independent a life as possible. We saw that accidents and incidences were closely monitored and the service changed its environment and staff practice to meet people’s needs safely. This had resulted in very positive outcomes for people and improvements to their daily lives and well-being.

We found examples where staff had supported people with their medicines and worked closely with medical professionals to ensure that people were receiving the correct medication at the correct time that enabled them to live as independently as possible, reduce hospital admissions and be cared for in the environment that they preferred when they were unwell.

Staff were recruited safely and people who lived in the home were involved in the process. A stable, consistent staff team provided quality care to the people who lived in the home. Staffing levels were consistent and were adapted to meet people’s needs.

Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed training had been provided to enable them to support the people with their specific needs. We found staff were knowledgeable about the support needs of people in their care. We observed staff providing support to people throughout our inspection visit. We saw they had positive relationships with the people in their care as they had been supporting them for a long time.

The registered manager and the staff team understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Their competency and understanding was checked on a regular basis. This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions. We saw that people were supported to make their own decisions when possible and their choices were respected.

Care plans were person centred and driven by the people who lived in the home. We saw clear care profiles that gave appropriate information about the most important aspects of their care for that person. They detailed people’s wishes and care needs. They were regularly reviewed and updated as required.

The registered manager and the provider used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits of the service. The staff team were consistent and long standing. They demonstrated that they were committed to providing the best care possible for the people living in the home.