Oakfield House

Updated 15 September 2022

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 undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

Oakfield House 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. Oakfield House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

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

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 22 August 2022 and ended on 26 August 2022. We visited the service on 22 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received 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 information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 5 July 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and care workers. We spoke with one healthcare professional. We observed interactions between people and staff in communal areas.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 15 September 2022

About the service

Oakfield House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 30 older people who may be living with dementia, in one large adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people using the service.

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

People told us they were happy living at the service and felt safe. Potential risks to people’s health and welfare had been assessed and there was guidance in place for staff to mitigate the risks. Accidents and incidents had been recorded and analysed to identify any patterns and trends, action had been taken to reduce the risk of them happening again.

Staff were recruited safely, the required checks had been completed to keep people safe. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff had received training appropriate to their role and their competency had been checked.

Medicines were managed safely. Staff monitored people’s health and referred them to health professionals when their needs changed. People were supported to eat a balanced diet and given a choice of meals.

The management team completed regular checks and audits on all areas of the service. Action was taken when shortfalls were found. People and staff were asked their opinion of the service and suggestions made had been acted upon.

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.

People were protected from discrimination and abuse. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and the registered manager understood their responsibility to report any concerns to the local authority.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 20 February 2020). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

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

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 3 and 4 February 2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve governance and staff recruitment.

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.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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 changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Oakfield House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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