Oak House

Updated 26 February 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 27 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service approximately 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 26 February 2022

About the service:

Oak House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to up to three people with a range of conditions including mental health needs, autism and learning disability. At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the service. The home is on a residential street in a community setting and designed to promote people's inclusion and independence.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service:

People, relatives and a health professional told us staff were kind and caring. People told us they liked living at the service. They also said they felt safe there.

Staff were safely recruited and supported in their role through training and supervision. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

People were safeguarded against the risks of abuse and harm by staff who understood what to do if people were at risk of harm. Risks to people were assessed and mitigated. Staff understood people’s needs and preferences and were able to work safely with the range of risks presented.

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 involved in a range of activities within the community including attending college. The provider ran an activities centre locally to encourage vulnerable people in the local area to be involved in sports and hobbies. People from the service were able to use these facilities if they chose to.

People were supported to access external health professionals to help promote good health and wellbeing. We received positive feedback from a health professional who worked in partnership with the service.

The provider and local management team carried out quality checks to ensure the service was of a good quality. When accidents or incidents occurred, Information was shared across the service and through provider management meetings with other managers and senior personnel. This showed the provider worked to minimise re-occurrence of risk behaviours.

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 7 July 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.