CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Red Oaks Care Community
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, October 2022
Red Oaks Care Community was rated Good overall, but Safe Requires Improvement because medicine records and infection control were not always reliable.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 17 and 18 August 2022. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with six people, five relatives and six staff. They reviewed care and medicine records, staff files, training information and quality checks.
The home had improved since the previous inspection. Medicines were administered more safely, care plans were more detailed, and management oversight had improved. People were supported with food, drink, healthcare, activities and decisions about their care.
The Safe rating remained Requires Improvement. Medicine room and fridge temperatures were not always recorded, and some staff did not follow infection control rules. Effective and Well-led were rated Good. The overall rating changed from Requires Improvement to Good, but Caring and Responsive were not rated in this focused inspection.
Improved medicines practice
Inspectors found that medicines were administered more safely than at the previous inspection. People and relatives said medicines were given on time.
“At this inspection we found improvements had been made.” from the report
Detailed care information
Care plans were being reviewed and contained useful information about people’s health needs, preferences and support.
“Completed care plans had detailed information to ensure staff could support and meet people's needs.” from the report
Good healthcare links
Staff made timely referrals, followed professional advice and recorded the outcomes. A healthcare professional gave positive feedback about the improvements.
“Staff worked closely with other professionals; people were referred to appropriate healthcare professionals such as, occupational therapists or GP's, when required.” from the report
Positive culture
Inspectors saw people interacting positively with staff and management. The home had a friendly, person-centred atmosphere.
“The impact was very positive with a family feel atmosphere.” from the report
Medicine records
needs fixingMedicine room and fridge temperatures were not recorded consistently. Some sharps boxes were not dated when opened, and audits had not always identified the problems.
“However, we found the medicine room and fridge temperatures were not completed consistently and sharp boxes were not dated when opened.” from the report
Infection control practice
needs fixingSome staff wore masks incorrectly or did not change protective equipment when moving to another task. Long nails and jewellery were also seen.
“However, some staff were wearing the mask under their nose and some staff failed to change their PPE when redirected to another task.” from the report
Family communication
minorSome relatives said they were not kept sufficiently informed about changes, including medicine changes. One family was kept waiting during a visit without a timely explanation.
“We received mixed feedback from relatives who told us communication could be better.” from the report
- 01How are medicine room and fridge temperatures recorded now, and who checks that the records are complete?
- 02What action has been taken to ensure staff wear masks correctly and change PPE between tasks?
- 03How will you keep families informed about medicine changes and other important decisions?
- 04Have resident and relative meetings been restarted, and how can families raise concerns or receive updates?
- 05What progress has been made with the refurbishment plan?
This was a focused inspection that checked the previous Warning Notice and looked at infection prevention under Safe; Caring and Responsive were not rated and the report does not give ratings for them. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 October 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.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, personalised care, but serious problems with medicines, infection control and management oversight.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 14 and 15 February 2022. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, and reviewed care plans, medicine records, staff files and management records.
The home was caring and responsive. People were treated with kindness and respect, received personalised support, and were encouraged to make choices. Activities were available and relatives generally felt their loved ones were well supported.
However, some medicines were not given on time, were not stored securely or were recorded correctly. Infection control guidance was not always followed, and some health risks were not properly assessed or managed. The home's checks did not reliably find or fix these problems.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. Safe, Effective and Well-led were also rated Requires Improvement, while Caring and Responsive were rated Good. This was the first inspection under the new provider, but the service had also been rated Requires Improvement at its previous inspection.
Kind and respectful care
People were treated well and staff supported privacy, dignity, independence and personal choice.
“People were treated well and respected by kind staff.” from the report
Personalised support
Staff used individual care plans and regular staff provided continuity. People were supported to take part in activities and maintain relationships.
“People received person centred care from regular and consistent staff.” from the report
Safeguarding
People were protected from abuse and neglect. Staff had safeguarding training and understood how to identify and act on concerns.
“People were protected from the risk of abuse.” from the report
End of life support
The home helped people and families discuss and record end of life wishes, and provided practical support when needs changed.
“The provider was skilled at helping people and their families explore and record their wishes about care at the end of their life.” from the report
Medicines safety
seriousPeople did not always receive medicines on time. Storage, topical medicine instructions, controlled drug records and medicine administration records were not always safe.
“Controlled drugs were not recorded correctly and in line with legislation and we observed medication administration record (MAR) charts being signed in retrospect;” from the report
Infection control
needs fixingPersonal protective equipment was not always removed and disposed of safely. Cleaning records and audits were incomplete.
“PPE was not always removed and disposed of safely following contact with people.” from the report
Health risk assessments
seriousSome care plans did not contain enough information about health needs, including diabetes and falls risks. High malnutrition risk scores had not always led to timely professional referrals.
“Care plans did not contain sufficient information relating to people's health needs.” from the report
Weak management checks
seriousThe home's audits and governance systems did not reliably identify or fix repeated problems in medicines, infection control, care records and risk management.
“Audits were not effective in driving service improvement.” from the report
- 01What has changed to make sure every medicine is given on time, stored securely and recorded correctly?
- 02How do you now check that topical medicines and controlled drugs are managed safely?
- 03What action have you taken after the warning notice about governance and infection control?
- 04How are falls, diabetes, nutrition and other health risks assessed, updated and checked?
- 05How do you make sure audits identify problems and that improvements are completed?
This was an unannounced first inspection under the new provider and covered all five key questions, including infection prevention and control and COVID-19 vaccination requirements. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 March 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 Red Oaks Care Community
7 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2022Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2020Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2020Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- July 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 April 2021.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
75 live-in carers within about an hour of Nottinghamshire
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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 63 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Ernest is an amazing professional carer who delivers care from the heart.”
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.