Oakwood Bungalows

Updated 9 June 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.

This was a targeted inspection to check whether the provider had met the requirements of the Warning Notice in relation to Regulation 17 good governance of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 on a concern we had about manager oversight of risk within the service.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Oakwood Bungalows 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. Oakwood Bungalows is a care home with 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 not a registered manager in post. The manager told us they were in an interim post. They told us the provider had planned for another manager to take the position of registered manager in the next few weeks.

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 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

We spoke with 3 people who used the service. We spoke with 4 staff members, including the manager, a manager from another service who was providing support to the manager, a support worker and a nurse. We carried out observations of communal spaces within the service.

We reviewed a range of records, including 2 people’s care records, staff recruitment files, and incident forms. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance records were reviewed.

Updated 9 June 2023

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.

About the service

Oakwood Bungalows is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 11 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to a maximum of 11 people. The service supports people with a learning disability and autistic people, and younger adults. People lived in 2 bungalows, one with 10 beds and another single occupancy bungalow.

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

Right Support:

Fire safety risks were not always assessed or mitigated, placing people at risk of harm.

A system to analyse accidents and incidents had not been implemented. This meant action to prevent further risk of incidents or accidents was not always identified. Governance arrangements were not effective to fully ensure the quality and safety of people's care.

Staff used techniques to support people to manage their emotions, this approach reduced the need for people to be supported through the use of restraint. Staff recorded where restraint was required to keep people and others safe. However, some improvements were required to ensure lessons were learned from those incidents to reduce them happening again.

People were not supported in an environment offering interaction and stimulation at a level of intensity to meet their needs. The service was clean and well maintained.

Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome. Referrals to appropriate professionals were made in a timely manner.

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.

Right Care:

Safeguarding referrals or investigations had not always been made where records showed people were at risk of poor care and abuse. Where safeguarding referrals had been made, the service worked in partnership with social care organisations to protect people.

Staff had not always received up to date training but following inspection were encouraged to complete this within a set timeframe. The service had enough staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.

Right Culture:

Staff had enough guidance to support people to manage their distress, anxiety, feelings and emotional reactions in a personalised way.

The provider made reasonable adjustments for people so they could be involved in discussions about their support and the service. There were opportunities for staff to feedback on the running of the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 4 March 2020).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. 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 Oakwood Bungalows on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safeguarding, safety and governance at this inspection.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.