Archived: The Oaks

Updated 18 November 2020

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 coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

This inspection took place on 04 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 18 November 2020

Our last inspection of the service on 6 July 2017 was a focused inspection to check if improvements had been made to meet the legal requirements for the breaches of regulations found during our comprehensive inspection in February 2017. We inspected the service against three of the five questions we ask about services, safe, effective and well led. At the focused inspection we found that the provider had addressed the breaches of Regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and were compliant with the warning notice we served. However, the ratings for the key questions safe, effective and well led at that inspection remained 'Requires Improvement' as systems and processes that had been implemented had not been operational for a sufficient amount of time for us to be sure of consistent and sustained good practice to achieve the rating of good.

The Oaks is a large nursing home which accommodates up to 113 older people living with dementia or mental health needs across six units. At the time of our inspection there were 78 people living at the 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. There was a manager in post at the time of our inspection and they were in the process of registering with the CQC to become the registered manager for the service. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At this inspection we found the service had continued to make required improvements and demonstrated that they met the regulations and fundamental standards.

Risks to people were assessed, recorded and managed safely by staff. Medicines were managed, administered and stored safely. People were protected from the risk of abuse, because staff were aware of the types of abuse and the action to take. There were systems in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of infection and the home environment appeared clean and well maintained. Accidents and incidents were recorded and acted on appropriately. There were safe staff recruitment practices in place and appropriate numbers of staff to meet people’s needs.

There were systems in place to ensure staff were inducted into the service appropriately. Staff received training, supervision and appraisals. Staff were aware of the importance of seeking consent and acted in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This provides protection for people who do not have capacity to make decisions for themselves. People’s nutritional needs and preferences were met. People had access to health and social care professionals when required and staff worked well with health and social care professionals to meet people’s needs.

People told us staff treated them well and respected their privacy and dignity. People’s diverse needs were met and staff were committed to supporting people to meet their needs with regard to their disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and gender. People were involved in making decisions about their care. There was a range of activities available to meet people’s interests. The service provided care and support to people at the end of their lives. People’s needs were reviewed and monitored on a regular basis. People were provided with information on how to make a complaint. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. People’s views about the service were sought and considered. People, their relatives and staff spoke positively of the management at the home.