Oxford House

Updated 29 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 13 August 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the home, what the home does well and any improvements they plan to make. This information formed part of the inspection planning and was used during the inspection visit.

We checked the information we held about the registered provider and the home. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about incidents and accidents that had occurred at the home. A notification is information about important events which occur at the home that they are required to send us by law.

We used a range of different methods to help us understand people's experiences. Some people who lived at the home had limited verbal communication. Therefore, we observed the interaction between people and the staff who supported them in communal areas throughout the inspection visit.

We spoke with three people who used the service and one relative. We spoke with the registered manager, a senior support worker and two support workers.

To help us assess how people’s care needs were being met, we looked at three care plan files, three staff recruitment files, three medication administration records (MARs), all the staff training records, complaints, policies and procedures and other records that related to the running of the home.

After the inspection we approached other stakeholders, for example the local authority and healthwatch to receive their feedback on the quality of care received. The feedback we received is included in this report.

Updated 29 August 2018

Oxford House is a care home for six adults with a learning disability. The home is a large, Victorian, detached house close to Worthing town centre. Rooms are single occupancy, four having en-suite facilities and one person is accommodated in a detached bungalow in the grounds of Oxford House. Communal areas include a large kitchen, dining room and sitting room. People have access to a rear garden.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Staff described procedures that were in place to safeguard the people they supported. They fully understood the safeguarding policies and procedures and felt confident to raise a concern and thought they would be listened to.

Recruitment systems at the home continued to be safe and robust. There were sufficient trained and competent staff to meet people's individual assessed needs. All staff undertook an induction at the start of their employment and completed shadow shifts to fully understand their role and the people they supported. The staff were supported by the management team through on-going supervision and team meetings.

Medicines were ordered, stored, administered and disposed of in accordance with best practice guidelines. All staff had undertaken medicines training and had their competency assessed annually or when needed. The registered provider had medicines policies and procedures in place.

The design and layout of the building was hazard free and met the needs of people who lived there. All areas of the home were clean and in a good state of repair with equipment maintained.

People received care that was personalised and responsive to their needs. People's needs that related to age, disability, religion or other protected characteristics were considered throughout the assessment and care planning process.

People were supported with their nutrition and hydration needs. Clear guidance was available for staff to follow when people had specific dietary needs. People spoke positively about their mealtime experiences and told us they were always offered choice.

We observed kind and caring interactions between people and staff. People living in the home and a relative praised the caring nature of the care staff and registered manager. People were supported to increase their independence and maintain strong links with their families. People were involved in planning their care and supported to undertake activities of their choice.

The registered provider had a clear complaints policy and procedure that people and their relatives were familiar with and felt confident any concerns would be listened to.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The registered manager was accessible, supportive and had good leadership skills. Staff were aware of the values of the provider and understood their roles and responsibilities. Morale was good within the workforce.

The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. There was a culture of listening to people and positively learning from events so similar incidents were not repeated. As a result, the quality of the service continued to develop.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.