CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Oakdene Nursing Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, April 2023
Oakdene Nursing Home: inspected but not rated; inspectors found enough staff and good infection control, but this was not a full inspection.
This was an unannounced targeted inspection. Two inspectors visited on 31 March 2023, and inspection activity ended on 4 April 2023. They looked mainly at staffing and infection control after concerns about staffing.
Inspectors found enough competent staff on day and night shifts. People said staff responded in good time, and staffing levels had improved. Recruitment checks were also considered sufficiently robust.
The home was clean and free from bad smells. Inspectors were assured that infection prevention measures, protective equipment, visiting arrangements and outbreak planning were effective.
The home was inspected but not rated. Its previous overall rating was Requires Improvement, published in July 2022. This targeted inspection did not review every part of the service, so it did not change that previous rating.
Staffing levels
Inspectors found enough competent staff to meet people's needs. People and staff said staffing had improved and that help was available without long waits.
“There were enough competent staff on duty to meet people's needs.” from the report
Recruitment checks
The home used recruitment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, to help ensure staff were suitable.
“Recruitment practices and ongoing checks were sufficiently robust.” from the report
Cleanliness and infection control
Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed. The home was visibly clean, and people spoke positively about its cleanliness.
“The home was visibly clean and free from malodours.” from the report
Visiting arrangements
The report says visiting was supported in line with current government guidance. People described unrestricted visiting.
“There is unrestricted visiting.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are staffing levels reviewed when people's needs change?
- 02What progress has been made with the new manager's application to register?
- 03When will the whole Safe question be reviewed after the previous Requires Improvement rating?
- 04What refurbishment work has been identified on the service improvement plan, and when will it be completed?
- 05How will the home maintain its infection control arrangements during an outbreak?
This was a targeted inspection of staffing and infection control under the Safe question; it did not assess the whole Safe question or the other key questions, so previous ratings carried over. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 April 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, July 2022
Oakdene Nursing Home was rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind care and prompt action, but medicines, risk records and quality checks were not always reliable.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 12 and 13 April 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at whether people were safe and whether the home was well-led. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and a visiting health professional, observed care, and checked care, medicines, staff and management records.
People received their medicines as prescribed, but some arrangements and records were not correct or detailed enough. Risk assessments also contained gaps, including around pressure ulcers and bed rails. The management team corrected the issues when inspectors raised them.
The home had recently introduced a new audit programme, but its checks had not found all the problems inspectors identified. The home was clean and in good repair, staff were described as kind, call bells were answered promptly, and people and relatives felt able to raise concerns.
The overall rating changed from Good at the previous inspection, published in 2018, to Requires Improvement. This inspection only reassessed Safe and Well-led. The other three ratings carried over from the previous inspection.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives said staff were caring and respectful. Inspectors observed positive interactions between staff and the people they supported.
“Interactions between staff and the people they were supporting were positive and respectful.” from the report
Prompt care and staffing
Call bells were answered promptly, relatives felt care was not rushed, and staffing levels were above the provider's calculated minimum.
“Call bells were answered promptly. Relatives held the impression that staff did not rush care.” from the report
Clean and well-maintained home
The premises, furniture and equipment were kept clean and in good repair. Safety certificates and checks were up to date.
“The premises were kept clean and in good repair.” from the report
Open management
People and relatives saw the management as approachable and felt able to raise concerns. The home reported significant events to CQC as required.
“People and relatives saw the management of the home as caring, approachable and efficient” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that infection prevention arrangements, visiting arrangements and the use of protective equipment reflected current guidance.
“The service's infection prevention and control policy and procedures, including visiting arrangements, reflected current national guidance.” from the report
Medicines arrangements
needs fixingThe policy for giving medicines covertly did not reflect national guidance at the time of inspection. Some as-needed medicine protocols were missing or did not match the current dosage.
“The medicines policy in place during the inspection did not reflect national guidance for covert medication; the provider has since revised their policy.” from the report
Incomplete risk records
needs fixingSome risk assessments and care records lacked important detail or had not been updated to reflect people's current needs. The management team corrected the examples inspectors found.
“However, we found some discrepancies and lack of detail, which the management team addressed when drawn to their attention.” from the report
Quality checks missed problems
needs fixingThe new audit programme had not identified all the exceptions found by inspectors. The report recommended further work to ensure the governance systems operated effectively.
“However, audits to date had not identified all the exceptions we found, which robust auditing should have done.” from the report
Management changes
minorThe previous registered manager had recently left and a new manager had started. Staff and relatives gave mixed views about staff turnover and recent management changes.
“The registered manager had recently left and been replaced by a new manager, who was in the process of applying to register with CQC” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to the covert medication policy, and how do you check that staff follow it?
- 02How do you make sure as-needed medicine protocols always match the current prescription and dosage?
- 03How are pressure ulcer and bed rail risk assessments reviewed when a person's needs or mobility change?
- 04What has the new audit programme found since this inspection, and how do you check that it identifies problems promptly?
- 05How have you supported staff through the recent management changes and any staff turnover?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the Effective, Caring and Responsive ratings were carried over from the previous inspection in 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 July 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 Oakdene Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- April 2023Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- July 2022Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 31 December 2010.
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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