CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Oak House & Maple Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe and staff understood safeguarding and individual risks. Medicines, recruitment and infection control were also found to be managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- People had detailed assessments and recovery plans. Staff were trained and supported people with food, healthcare, treatment conditions and independent living skills.
- Caring?
- Good
- Inspectors saw warm and positive interactions. People said staff listened, knew them well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care and recovery plans reflected people's choices and goals. People were supported to maintain friendships, contact family, follow interests and take part in community activities.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Managers promoted a positive culture focused on recovery and independence. Audits, reviews and feedback systems gave managers effective oversight of care.
What inspectors found, April 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and recovery-focused care, with residents' meetings needing to restart after a Covid-19 outbreak.
Inspectors visited on 10 and 11 March 2022 without giving notice. They spoke with seven people, seven staff members and three healthcare professionals. They reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records, and checked infection control.
All five areas were rated Good. People said they felt safe and described staff as friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Inspectors found that risks and medicines were managed safely, staff were trained, and people were supported to access healthcare and eat well.
The home placed strong emphasis on recovery, choice and independence. People helped shape their care plans, maintained relationships and took part in activities. Inspectors saw warm interactions and found that managers had effective systems for checking the quality of care.
Good means inspectors found that people's outcomes were consistently good and that the service was consistently managed and well-led. This was the first inspection under the new provider. The previous rating, under the former provider, was also Good.
People felt safe
People said staff were available and knew what they were doing. Staff understood how to identify and report abuse and how to manage individual risks.
“I do feel safe, just knowing staff are there, they all know what they are doing.” from the report
Focus on independence
Care plans supported people to develop everyday skills and work towards living with less support. The home helped people set goals and plan for moving on.
“There was a strong emphasis on recovery and equipping people with the skills to live independent lives.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors observed warm, friendly interactions. People said staff listened to them, understood their history and respected their choices.
“They definitely don't judge, treat me with respect and listen” from the report
Good links with health services
Staff worked with GPs, mental health professionals and specialist teams. They helped people attend appointments and responded when people's health changed.
“Communication between the two services is extremely good.” from the report
Strong management oversight
Managers reviewed care records, medicines and risks. They used audits and feedback to identify issues and improve the service.
“Quality assurance and management systems provided managers with sufficient oversight and enabled effective governance of the service.” from the report
Residents' meetings had paused
minorThere had not been a recent residents' meeting because of a Covid-19 outbreak. The manager said meetings would soon restart, so families may want to check that this has happened.
“there had not been one recently due to a recent Covid-19 outbreak” from the report
Some activity continuity
minorOne person said they had stopped taking part in baking after a staff member left. Ask how the home keeps activities going when staff change.
“I used to get involved in the baking, but the [staff member] has left” from the report
- 01Have residents' meetings restarted since the Covid-19 outbreak, and how are people's views recorded and acted on?
- 02How would you support my relative to set recovery goals and develop skills for greater independence?
- 03How do you make sure medicines are given safely, especially if my relative wants to manage some medicines independently?
- 04What activities are currently available, and how do you maintain them when staff leave?
- 05How would you work with my relative's GP, mental health team and other professionals if their needs changed?
This was an unannounced first inspection under a new provider covering all five key questions, care and the premises, with infection prevention and control checked as part of Safe; CQC only inspected areas where people received personal care. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 April 2022 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 & Maple Lodge
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 June 2020.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,020 to £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.