Oldbury House Care Home

Updated 21 February 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

Two Inspectors and two Experts by Experience carried out the inspection. 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

Oldbury House Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Oldbury House Care Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. However, a manager was in post who was in the process of registering with CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We considered the feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in February 2022 in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

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 spoke with 12 people who lived or were staying at Oldbury House Care Home. We spoke with 12 people's relatives about their experience of the care and support provided by the service.

We spoke with 21 staff including the deputy manager, clinical lead, 3 nurses, 7 care workers, 2 activities coordinators, head housekeeper, 3 housekeepers, agency chef and 2 maintenance workers. We also spoke with 2 representatives of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 8 people's care records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the management team to validate evidence found. We sought feedback from 3 healthcare professionals involved in the service.

Updated 21 February 2023

About the service

Oldbury House Care Home is a care home providing accommodation to persons who require nursing or personal care, for up to 75 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 56 people using the service. People are accommodated in one adapted building, which has been divided into three households or ‘units’.

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

People and their relatives told us Oldbury House was safe and staff responded to their needs safely. There were enough staff deployed to meet people’s needs. The management changed staffing levels depending on the occupancy of the home and people’s needs. Staff told us they had the skills, time and support they needed to meet people’s needs.

People’s needs and choices had been assessed. Where possible people were involved in planning and discussing their care, taking positive risks. Staff understood people’s individual risks and the support they required to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Incidents and accidents were reviewed to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. The management reviewed where accidents occurred to identify any potential trends. Staff were supported to reflect on incidents, complaints and medicine errors to enable them to make improvements.

The provider had infection control procedures in place to protect people and prevent the spread of infection. Staff accessed personal protective equipment (PPE) and acted in accordance with government guidance. People’s visitors could visit in accordance with current guidance.

Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. Where people were living under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards; staff understood the support they required.

People had access to activities and engagement. Staff provided ad hoc activities where required, alongside group activities and trips outside of the home. The management team tried to accommodate like-minded people close to each other, to stimulate communication and engagement.

The provider was in the process of implementing new electronic care planning systems. Staff were being supported to use the new system for day to day recording of care notes. The provider and management had a clear plan to improve people's care notes and records.

The manager and provider operated effective systems to monitor the quality of care they provided people living at Oldbury House. There was a clear development plan for the home based on the manager and provider's audits and knowledge of the service.

People, their relatives and staff spoke positively about the management of the service. Staff told us they felt supported by the management team and felt they had the communication and guidance they needed.

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 Good (published 16 October 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. This included information of concern about people’s care and support. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Oldbury House 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.