CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Oak House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Weekend staffing was not sufficient to meet some people's assessed needs, and staff allocations were not always clear. Risks, medicines, safeguarding, infection control and premises checks were otherwise managed well.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had regular checks, an improvement plan and good management oversight. People, relatives, staff and professionals gave positive feedback about how the home was run.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, well-led care, but weekend staffing meant Safe was rated Requires Improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 27 February and 1 March 2023. One inspector spoke with people, relatives, staff and outside professionals, and checked care, medicine, staffing and management records.
The main concern was staffing at weekends. The rota did not show enough staff to meet some people's assessed support needs, and it was not always clear which worker had been allocated to each person. The manager increased staffing immediately and amended the allocation document.
People told inspectors they felt safe and received kind support. Medicines, infection control, safeguarding and health and safety checks were found to be managed well. The home was rated Good overall, with Safe rated Requires Improvement and Well-led rated Good.
Kind and respectful staff
Staff had positive relationships with people and supported their independence. Inspectors saw a calm atmosphere and staff who knew people's needs well.
“There was a positive staff culture. Staff were kind, caring and compassionate.” from the report
Medicines managed safely
People received their prescribed medicines when needed. Staff were trained and checked as competent, and medicines were stored and reviewed safely.
“People received their prescribed medicines safely and when required.” from the report
Strong management oversight
The home used regular audits and checks, with actions recorded in an improvement plan. Staff understood their roles and felt supported.
“These audits and checks were completed daily, weekly and monthly and any required actions were added to the provider's improvement plan.” from the report
Good infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home used protective equipment safely, kept the premises hygienic and had arrangements for managing infection outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Weekend staffing
seriousThe rota did not provide enough staff to meet some people's assessed support needs at weekends. It was also not always clear who was allocated to support each person.
“Staff deployment at a weekend was not sufficient to meet people's individual assessed needs.” from the report
Electronic care records still being improved
needs fixingThe new electronic care system did not yet give enough detailed guidance in some support plans and risk assessments. Paper records provided additional guidance while improvements continued.
“Whilst we found support plans and risk assessments lacked detailed guidance, paper records were also used which provided staff with a good level of guidance of how to manage and mitigate known risk.” from the report
- 01How many staff will be on duty at weekends, and how will this meet each person's assessed support needs?
- 02How will you make sure a named worker is allocated in advance when someone has additional funded support hours?
- 03What improvements have been made to the electronic care records since the inspection?
- 04How do managers check that staffing and care-record changes are working in practice?
- 05Which ratings from the previous inspection were carried over because they were not assessed this time?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings carried over from the previous inspection and were used to calculate the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 March 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, February 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care across all five areas.
This was the home's first inspection, after it registered in February 2019. One inspector visited on 10 February 2020, spoke with people, staff and managers, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The inspector found that people were safe. There were risk assessments, enough staff, safe recruitment checks and safe medicine systems. Staff understood safeguarding and infection control procedures.
People received personalised care from staff who treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Their health needs, food choices, cultural needs, activities and independence were supported. Families and people were involved in care planning, and a complaints process was available.
The home was rated Good in Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The report says this meant people's outcomes were consistently good and the service was consistently managed.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's care needs. Recruitment checks were completed before staff started work.
“The provider had taken appropriate action to ensure staff at the service were suitable to provide care to vulnerable people.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People said staff respected their privacy and dignity. Inspectors also saw respectful communication between staff, managers and people living at the home.
“People told us their privacy and dignity was respected at all times by staff.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's personalities, likes, routines, beliefs and preferences. Staff supported people to be independent and take part in activities suited to them.
“Care plans provided the record of each person's personality, likes and routines.” from the report
Active management checks
The management team carried out audits, shared learning with staff and sought feedback from people, families and staff.
“Regular audits and quality checks took place to ensure that quality remained high and any errors could be rectified.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you assess and review my relative's mental health needs and risks?
- 02How would you support my relative to build independence and take part in activities they enjoy?
- 03How would you manage my relative's medicines, including any medicines prescribed to be taken as needed?
- 04How would you involve my relative and our family in care planning and reviews?
- 05How would you support my relative's cultural, religious, communication and dietary needs?
This was the first inspection of the newly registered home and covered all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 February 2020 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Oak House
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2020GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 February 2019.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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