CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at St Lukes and The Oaks Care Home
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. Risk assessments, staffing, recruitment checks, medicines processes and infection control were generally effective, although some staff training was overdue.
- Effective?
- Outstanding
- The home provided highly effective dementia care, adapted meals and strong support with health needs. Inspectors found the environment exceptionally dementia friendly and saw staff promote people's independence.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care and staff understood their communication needs.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's physical, mental, emotional and social needs. People had a wide range of activities, complaints were acted on, and end of life wishes were considered.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Leadership was described as innovative, committed and focused on improving people's quality of life. Audits, community partnerships and projects such as falls prevention supported continuous improvement.
What inspectors found, August 2019
St Lukes and The Oaks Care Home was rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found exceptional effectiveness and leadership, with safe, kind and responsive care.
This was an unannounced inspection on 25 and 26 June 2019. Two inspectors and an Expert by Experience visited. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care plans, medicines records, staffing records and management records.
The home was providing personal and nursing care for 68 older people. Inspectors found people were safe, treated with kindness, and supported to make choices. Medicines were managed safely, staffing levels met people's needs, and healthcare and food support were effective.
The dementia-friendly environment, activities, community links and work to reduce falls were particular strengths. The home's leadership and approach to improving people's quality of life were rated Outstanding.
The overall rating improved from Good at the previous inspection in October 2016. Safe, Caring and Responsive remained Good. Effective and Well-led improved to Outstanding.
Dementia-friendly environment
The environment offered people living with dementia stimulating spaces, clear themes and freedom to move around. People and relatives were involved in decisions about refurbishment.
“The environment on the upper floor of The Oaks was exceptionally dementia friendly.” from the report
Personalised mealtimes
Staff adapted food, crockery and support to people's needs and preferences. Inspectors saw attentive staff helping people understand meals and encouraging them to eat.
“The use of the tool had produced changes in the dining experience of people living with dementia.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported their dignity, privacy, choices and independence. Inspectors observed warm, attentive relationships between staff and people.
“Staff were observed to treat people with compassion and kindness throughout the inspection.” from the report
Activities and community links
People could take part in varied activities and meet visitors, students and volunteers. The home worked actively with local organisations to create social opportunities.
“The service was very outward facing and there were strong links with the local community” from the report
Learning and improvement
The home used audits and projects to improve care. Falls prevention work had led to a significant reduction in falls, and learning was shared with other homes.
“An external analysis of falls showed a significant reduction in falls within the service between June 2017 and December 2018” from the report
Refresher training
minorNot all staff were up to date with the provider's required refresher training. An action plan and extra training sessions were in place.
“The registered manager had identified through their audits of the service, not all staff were up to date with the providers refresher training.” from the report
Infection control training
minorSome staff were behind with infection control and food hygiene training. A catch-up programme was being used to complete it.
“Some staff were behind with this training, but a catch-up programme was in place to ensure this was completed.” from the report
- 01Has all required refresher training now been completed, including infection control and food hygiene training?
- 02How does the home use the Rose model of dementia care in everyday support?
- 03How are falls monitored now, and have the falls prevention improvements continued?
- 04How are residents and relatives involved in care plan reviews and decisions about the environment?
- 05How are people's food preferences, communication needs and independence supported on a daily basis?
This was a planned, unannounced inspection covering the premises, care provided and all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 August 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.
What inspectors found, October 2016
St Lukes and The Oaks Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some supervision meetings behind schedule.
This was an unannounced inspection on 13 and 14 September 2016. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They observed care, activities and lunch, and checked care plans, medicines, recruitment, training, complaints and safety records.
The home was rated Good overall. It was also rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practices, suitable training and care that reflected people's needs and preferences.
People said they felt safe and well cared for. Staff were described as kind, respectful and friendly. The home offered activities, supported contact with relatives and had systems for handling complaints and checking the quality of care.
There were a few points to keep in mind. Staff supervision meetings had fallen behind after changes among senior staff, although meetings had been scheduled. People also reported occasional waits for call bells during busy times.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise abuse, report concerns and manage risks to people's care and welfare.
“People felt safe living at the service and were protected from abuse and risks relating to their care and welfare.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw calm, friendly interactions. Staff knew people's preferences and protected their dignity, privacy and confidentiality.
“People were treated with care and kindness.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's likes, dislikes, histories and wishes. The home offered activities and support based on individual interests.
“People received support that was individualised to their personal preferences and needs.” from the report
Good staff training
Training records were up to date, including training linked to dementia and safeguarding. Staff said they had the skills needed for their work.
“People benefitted from a staff team that was well trained.” from the report
Open management
People, relatives and staff described a welcoming atmosphere. Regular meetings and audits helped the home review its care and operations.
“People benefitted from living at a service that had an open and friendly culture and from a staff team that were happy in their work.” from the report
Supervision meetings had fallen behind
needs fixingThe home’s policy was for regular one-to-one supervision meetings. These had fallen behind because of senior staff changes, although meetings had been scheduled for all staff.
“The registered manager told us the meetings had fallen behind due to senior staff changes but that all staff had been scheduled a supervision meeting within the next few weeks.” from the report
Occasional call bell waits
minorPeople and relatives generally felt there were enough staff, but some people said they occasionally waited for help during busy periods.
“They told us staff generally arrived quickly if they used their call bells but went on to say that they did experience the occasional wait during busy times.” from the report
- 01How do you make sure all staff receive their planned supervision meetings on time?
- 02How do you monitor and reduce occasional waits for call bells during busy periods?
- 03What changes have been made since the falls prevention work reduced falls by 36%?
- 04How are people's care plans reviewed when their needs or preferences change?
- 05How can relatives raise a concern, and how will they be told what action was taken?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall quality of the home, covering all five CQC questions and reviewing care, medicines, staffing, records, activities, complaints and management systems. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 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 St Lukes and The Oaks Care Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- August 2019Outstandingcurrent ratingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: OutstandingCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Outstanding
Read what inspectors found at St Lukes and The Oaks Care Home →
- October 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at St Lukes and The Oaks Care Home →
- April 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 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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