Oake Meadows Care Home

Updated 23 June 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Oake Meadows Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Oake Meadows Care Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at the information we have received from and about the service since the last inspection.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 24 people who lived at the home and 6 visiting relatives. We spoke with 11 members of staff and members of the management team. The registered manager was available throughout the inspection. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We also spoke with 3 members of staff from the therapy team, which supports the area of the home which provides rehabilitation for people after discharge from hospital, and 2 visiting healthcare professionals.

Following the site visit, we received written feedback from 1 relative and 1 healthcare professional.

We looked at a variety of records relating to people’s individual care and the running of the home. These included 7 care and support plans, a sample of audits, staff training records and minutes of meetings.

Updated 23 June 2023

About the service

Oake Meadows Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care. It is registered to provide care and accommodation to up to 105 people. The home specialises in the care of older people including people living with dementia.

The home is divided into 5 different areas. One area provides general nursing care, 1 provides nursing care for people living with dementia and another provides care to people who have personal care needs. There is also a rehabilitation unit which is run in partnership with the local NHS and a small unit for people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. At the time of the inspection there were 69 people living at the care home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received. People who were unable to express their views appeared comfortable and relaxed with the staff who supported them.

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

Each person had a care plan which was personal to them. It set out their likes and dislikes as well as their needs. This helped to make sure staff had the information they required to provide person-centred care.

The staff worked in partnership with other healthcare professionals to ensure people’s physical and mental health needs were monitored and met. This included working with therapists from the NHS to provide rehabilitation to people who had been discharged from hospital.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and experience to meet their needs. Staff had opportunities to complete training appropriate to their role and undertake vocational qualifications. People told us staff were patient and attentive.

The majority of people were happy with the food provided. During the inspection we saw people received the support and encouragement they needed to eat a good meal. Drinks and snacks were available throughout the day.

People could follow their own interests or take part in organised activities. Activity workers provided ad hoc social stimulation for people living with dementia. This resulted in people being engaged and animated.

People lived in a home where the registered manager was passionate about making sure people received good quality care which was inclusive and empowering. People told us they felt ‘at home.’

The provider had effective systems to monitor the standard of care provided to people and plan ongoing improvements. Regular audits showed that when shortfalls were identified, action was taken to make improvements.

There were meetings for people who lived at the home to enable them to hear about any changes and make suggestions about the running of the home.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service was good (published 13 October 2018)

Why we inspected This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

This was a focused inspection to review the key questions of effective, responsive and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has not changed from good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.