CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Oakdene Care Providers
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe and there were enough staff, safe recruitment checks and suitable infection-control practices. However, medicine records were not always checked correctly and free-standing wardrobes had not been secured or risk assessed.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had training and supported people with food, drink, healthcare and their individual needs. People were supported to make choices and live in a homely environment.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care and supported to be independent.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs and preferences and were reviewed with them. People could take part in activities, maintain relationships and raise concerns.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- People and staff were involved and staff felt supported. However, audits and checks had not identified the medicine-recording and wardrobe risks, so management oversight was not always effective.
What inspectors found, November 2023
Rated Good overall, but inspectors found medicine-recording and environmental risks and rated the home Requires Improvement for being well-led.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 17 October 2023. They spoke with three people living at the home and two staff members. They reviewed care plans, medicine records, health and safety records, and how the home was managed.
People said they felt safe and spoke positively about staff. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, suitable training, kind support, personalised care, help with food and healthcare, and opportunities for activities and community visits.
There were important shortfalls. Some handwritten medicine records had not been checked and signed by two staff, and free-standing wardrobes had not been secured or risk assessed. The home's checks had not found these problems.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, effective, caring and responsive care were each rated Good. Well-led was rated Requires Improvement because management checks were not consistently finding or addressing risks. The previous overall rating was Good, published on 18 October 2016.
Enough staff
Inspectors found there were enough staff to meet people's needs and help keep them safe.
“There were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs and help keep them safe.” from the report
Kind, familiar support
The small staff team knew people well and treated them respectfully. People spoke positively about their support.
“People were supported by a staff team who knew them well.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans reflected people's choices and needs. People were involved in planning and reviewing their support.
“People's care plans reflected their needs and preferences.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to maintain relationships, follow their interests and take part in activities and social events.
“People told us they regularly accessed the community and took part in activities and social events they enjoyed.” from the report
Medicine records
seriousSome handwritten medicine entries had not been signed by two staff to confirm they matched the prescriber's instructions. Inspectors recommended that the provider review current guidance and update its practice.
“However, when additional medicines had been prescribed, handwritten entries had not been signed by two members of staff to confirm the entry was in accordance with the prescriber's instructions.” from the report
Unsecured wardrobes
seriousFree-standing wardrobes had not been secured to the wall and there were no risk assessments covering the possible danger of them toppling onto people.
“For example, free standing wardrobes had not been secured to the wall to prevent them toppling onto people and there were no risk assessments in place to manage this potential risk.” from the report
Weak management checks
needs fixingThe home's audits and checks had not identified the medicine and wardrobe problems. This led to the well-led rating falling from Good to Requires Improvement.
“Systems to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided were not always effective in identifying risks or areas for improvement.” from the report
- 01Have all handwritten medicine entries now been checked and signed by two staff, and how is this being audited?
- 02Have the free-standing wardrobes been secured, and has a risk assessment been completed for them?
- 03What changes have been made to the home's quality checks since inspectors found that audits had missed these risks?
- 04How will managers show that problems found through audits are acted on and followed up?
- 05When will the provider review the medicine-recording guidance recommended by inspectors?
This was an unannounced inspection that considered all five CQC questions and looked at both the care provided and the premises. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 November 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, October 2016
Oakdene Care Providers was rated Good in all five areas; inspectors found safe, kind and well-organised care.
This was an unannounced inspection on 22 September 2016. The home supported three people at the time, although it could accommodate up to four women with mental health problems. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals. They also checked care records, medicines records, staff files and quality checks.
Inspectors found people were safe and that staff understood safeguarding, individual risks and medicines procedures. There were enough staff on duty during the visit. Staff had suitable training, supervision and support. People's nutrition and access to health professionals were also assessed and supported.
The report describes care as kind, respectful and focused on people's independence. Care plans recorded people's preferences, needs and goals, and were reviewed with families and professionals. The home had a complaints process and carried out checks to monitor its quality.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means the inspection found the service met the expected standards in these areas at that time. The previous inspection in May 2013 had also found no concerns.
Safe medicines management
Medicines were stored securely, records were complete and managers checked staff competency. The home also audited ordering and disposal.
“These records were up to date without omissions.” from the report
Respectful care
Staff listened to people, asked for consent and respected privacy and dignity. People were offered choices about daily routines and meals.
“We found the interactions between staff and people who used the service were caring and respectful at all times in a homely environment.” from the report
Promoting independence
People were encouraged to help with cooking, cleaning and shopping, and to choose how they spent their time and travelled in the community.
“Staff actively promoted people's independence both within the home and out in the community.” from the report
Individual care planning
Care plans included people's preferences, support needs and goals. Families and professionals were involved in reviews.
“All support plans were reviewed annually in consultation with family and other professionals.” from the report
Staff support and oversight
Staff received induction, training, supervision and appraisals. The provider used audits and action plans to monitor the service.
“We found training and supervision was well organised and comprehensive.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How many staff are on duty during the day, evening and overnight, and what happens if someone is absent?
- 02How are medicines currently checked, including staff competency, storage and records?
- 03How are people's rehabilitation goals and progress towards more independent living recorded and reviewed?
- 04How often are care plans and risk assessments reviewed, and how are families involved?
- 05What is the current position on any Mental Capacity Act or DoLS applications?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall quality of the home and all five CQC questions; the previous inspection was in May 2013. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 October 2016 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 Oakdene Care Providers
2 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 July 2011.
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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