CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Oaks Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, October 2023
The Oaks Care Home was rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, person-centred care but serious weaknesses in records and oversight.
This was the first inspection since the home was registered. It was unannounced and took place on 15, 16 and 18 August, 21 August, and 6 September 2023. Inspectors met 7 people, contacted 5 relatives, spoke with staff and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
People were treated kindly and respectfully. Staff understood people's needs, supported their independence and helped them take part in activities and community life. Medicines, staffing, safeguarding and infection control were found to be safe.
The main weaknesses were incomplete or unclear care and recruitment records, inconsistent mental capacity records and ineffective audits. The home was rated Requires Improvement overall, with Requires Improvement ratings for Safe, Effective and Well-led. Caring and Responsive were rated Good.
Kind and respectful care
People received compassionate care from staff who understood their communication styles and treated them with dignity.
“People received kind, respectful and compassionate care from staff who used positive, respectful language which people understood and responded well to.” from the report
Choice and independence
Staff supported people to make decisions, do tasks for themselves and work towards their goals.
“Staff focused on people's strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life.” from the report
Safe medicines and staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff were trained and assessed as competent to give medicines.
“People's medicines were managed in a safe manner. Staff were trained in medicines management and were assessed as competent to administer people's medicines.” from the report
Personalised activities and communication
People were supported to take part in activities, visit places and use communication tools suited to their needs.
“The provider understood the AIS requirements and had made sure appropriate communication tools, such as pictorial documents were, in place to meet people's needs.” from the report
Incomplete records
seriousCare, risk and recruitment records did not always clearly or accurately show people's needs, risks or the checks completed on staff.
“The provider failed to maintain a concise, accurate and complete record in respect of each service user and for people employed at the service.” from the report
Weak management checks
seriousAudits were used inconsistently and failed to identify issues including record keeping, recruitment, building upkeep and mental capacity practice.
“The provider had failed to ensure effective systems were in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service.” from the report
Mental capacity records
needs fixingSome capacity and best-interest decisions conflicted with other records. There were also missing capacity assessments for people who needed someone with them in the community.
“The provider completed capacity assessments and 'best interests' decision but these sometimes conflicted with information in the other files.” from the report
Further staff training
needs fixingThe provider identified that staff needed additional training to support people who could become distressed and agreed to obtain positive behavioural techniques training.
“The care plans around working with people who could display distress suggested staff needed additional training in this area.” from the report
- 01How have you corrected the care records so that presenting risks and support needs are concise, accurate and easy for staff to find?
- 02What changes have you made to your audits, and how do you check that all rooms, records and care practices are reviewed rather than repeatedly checking only some areas?
- 03How are mental capacity and best-interest decisions now recorded, including decisions about people going into the community?
- 04What additional training have staff received for supporting people who become distressed?
- 05What progress has been made on the action plan requested by the CQC?
This was an unannounced first inspection covering all five key questions, including infection prevention and control; there were no previous ratings to carry over. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 October 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.
Every inspection of The Oaks Care Home
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- October 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2022
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 December 2022.
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
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48 live-in carers within about an hour of Gateshead
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 £950 to £1,240 a week. 42 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
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.