CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Oval Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were kept safe, with suitable risk assessments, enough staff and safe medicines systems. Inspectors noted that positive behaviour risk assessments needed updating.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had relevant training and people received support with food, healthcare, oral care and communication. Staff supervision had not met the home's own required frequency, but changes had been made.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people kindly and with dignity. People were involved in decisions, and staff supported independence and personal interests.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans recorded people's preferences and important relationships. People had choices about meals, activities and places to visit, and information was provided in accessible formats where needed.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had an open culture, regular audits and systems for gathering feedback and making improvements. Staff understood their roles and felt supported by the management.
What inspectors found, January 2023
Oval Residential Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some records and supervision needing improvement.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 07 November 2022. One inspector spoke with the person living at the home, staff and the registered manager. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, staff files and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, suitable training and good access to healthcare. People were supported to make choices, build independence and take part in activities and relationships that mattered to them.
Inspectors found two areas that needed attention. Positive behaviour risk assessments needed updating, although there was no reported harm or impact. Staff supervision meetings had not been held as often as the home's own policy required, but new dates and a revised format had been put in place.
Personalised support
Care focused on choice, control, independence and inclusion. People were supported to develop skills and take part in activities that reflected their interests.
“The support focused on people having as many opportunities as possible to gain new skills and become more independent.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw calm and friendly interactions. Staff knew people well and supported their dignity, privacy and independence.
“We observed staff interacting and speaking with people in a calm, friendly and kind way.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines records showed safe management, with two staff signing records and monthly audits. There were also protocols for medicines used when needed.
“There was a robust system in place to ensure medicines prescribed on an 'as required' basis were used appropriately.” from the report
Active management
The registered manager used audits, reviews, meetings and action plans to monitor quality and identify improvements.
“There were effective processes in place to monitor the quality of the service and to make improvements if required.” from the report
Risk assessments needed updating
needs fixingPositive behaviour risk assessments and plans were not up to date. Inspectors found no resulting harm or impact, and the registered manager agreed to revise them immediately.
“Positive behaviour risk assessments and plans needed updating.” from the report
Supervision was not frequent enough
needs fixingFormal staff supervision had not been held as often as the home's own policy required. The registered manager recognised this and showed new dates and a new supervision format.
“The registered manager acknowledged the frequency of these formal meetings did not meet the provider's own policy for staff supervision.” from the report
- 01Have all positive behaviour risk assessments and plans now been reviewed and updated?
- 02How often are staff supervision meetings held now, and how is this checked against the home's policy?
- 03How will you involve my relative and our family in reviewing care plans and risk assessments?
- 04How are medicines used when needed recorded, reviewed and audited?
- 05What activities and opportunities are available to help my relative develop independence and maintain important relationships?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC key questions, including infection prevention and control measures. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 January 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 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care across all five areas.
This was an unannounced inspection on 27 August 2019. One inspector spoke with people and staff, observed care, checked the building and reviewed records, including medicines, support plans, accidents, complaints, recruitment and quality checks. Feedback was also sought from three health and social care professionals.
The home supported two people with mild to moderate learning disabilities and had space for three. Inspectors found that people felt safe, received their medicines as prescribed, and were supported by staff who knew them well. The home was clean and well maintained, with suitable staffing and safe recruitment checks.
People were involved in decisions about their care, food, activities and daily life. Inspectors saw kind and respectful interactions. People were supported to build independence, maintain relationships and use local services. The manager and staff were described as open, supportive and focused on improving care.
The overall rating was Good, with Good ratings for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means inspectors found consistently good care at the time of the inspection. The previous inspection, published on 23 January 2017, was also rated Good.
People felt safe
People said they felt safe, and staff understood how to recognise and report abuse. Inspectors found detailed risk assessments and plans to reduce risks without unnecessarily limiting independence.
“People told us they felt safe living at this home.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Medicines were stored securely and given by trained staff. Inspectors found complete medicine records, no errors and stock levels that matched the records.
“We reviewed medicine administration record (MAR) charts, which were complete with no errors.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported their privacy, dignity, choices and cultural needs. Inspectors saw people being treated with kindness and compassion.
“Staff continued to provide a good level of compassionate, kind and caring support to people.” from the report
Support for independence and community life
People were helped to learn skills, make choices and take part in activities outside the home. This included day centres, shopping, holidays, gardening and local community activities.
“People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.” from the report
Stable, open management
The small and stable service helped people and staff know each other well. Staff said the manager was supportive, and quality systems were used to act on issues.
“The provider had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the running of the service and the quality of the service being delivered.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you assess and update my relative's support plan and risk assessments after they move in?
- 02What training and supervision will the staff supporting my relative have?
- 03How will my relative be supported to make choices, gain independence and take part in activities in the community?
- 04How will you support my relative's food, cultural, religious and communication preferences?
- 05How can my relative or our family raise a concern or complaint, and how will you respond?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions; inspectors reviewed one person's support plans and the home supported two people at the time. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 October 2019 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 Oval Residential Home
4 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 February 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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