Oak Tree House

Updated 18 January 2024

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 consisted of 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Oak Tree House 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. Oak Tree House is a care home without nursing care. 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 29 November 2023 and ended on 14 December 2023. We visited the location’s service on 29 November 2023 and 5 December 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us 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

During the site visit, we spoke with 2 people who lived at the home, the nominated individual and the registered manager. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with 3 staff members including a deputy manager and support workers. We looked at 3 people’s care records and 2 people’s medicine administration records (MARs). We also viewed 3 staff files and documentation related to the governance of the service.

Following the site visit, we spoke with 2 relatives and 2 additional staff members by telephone. The provider sent us further documentation we had requested following the site visit including information regarding recruitment and fire safety.

Updated 18 January 2024

About the service

Oak Tree House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 4 people in 1 adapted building. The service provides support to autistic people and people living with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were 3 people using the service.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support:

People had detailed risk assessments in place that guided staff how to meet their needs and mitigate risk to them. Staff understood how to manage risk to people. People were supported by a sufficient number of staff to meet their needs safely. People’s care records identified the level of 1:1 support they needed and people were allocated time for 1:1 activities.

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.

Medicines were stored and administered safely. The principles of STOMP (stop over medicating people with learning difficulties) were applied when people were prescribed 'when required' medicines.

Right Care: People told us they felt safe. People were supported by staff who knew them well and knew how to meet their needs and manage risks. Staff were recruited safely.

Right Culture: We received mixed feedback regarding the management of the home and the role of the registered manager. Staff and relatives did not always find the registered manager to be fully visible or responsible for their role. Staff and relatives spoke positively about the support provided by the nominated individual and deputy managers. Since the last inspection, relatives had been asked for feedback regarding the home and regular staff meetings had taken place to enable staff to input. The provider had acted on feedback received following the last inspection. Systems had been put in place to ensure lessons were learnt from any accidents or incidents to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

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 requires improvement (published 19 September 2023). The service remains requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last 2 consecutive inspections.

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to check whether the Warning Notice we previously served in relation to Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the well led sections of this full report.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Oak Tree House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation in respect to the provider requesting appropriate employment references when recruiting staff.

Follow up

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