Red Oaks

Updated 9 March 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 care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has 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 26 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours notice of the inspection.

Updated 9 March 2022

This comprehensive inspection took place on 16 and 18 January 2018. The inspection was unannounced.

Red Oaks is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is located in a residential area near the centre of Henfield.

Red Oaks accommodates up to 64 people across three separate units, namely Lavender (ground floor), Gardenia (first floor) and Freesia (second floor), each of which have separate adapted facilities. Two of the units provides care to people living with dementia. The home offers respite breaks.

The bedrooms are single occupancy with en-suite facilities. People have access to communal shower rooms, bathrooms and a hairdressing salon. Red Oaks has small dining rooms and sitting areas located on each floor and alcoves where people could sit with relatives, friends or in small groups. Fig Tree restaurant is a large dining area people use mainly for the lunch meal service and it can accommodate over 40 people. The building and accommodation units are accessible by wheelchair and have two passenger lifts. The service has an enclosed courtyard with level access, raised beds and a large garden at the back of the premises. The general environment was well maintained, bright and welcoming.

At the time of our inspection, 61 people were living at the service.

At the last inspection of 30 June 2015, the service met the regulations inspected and was rated Good overall.

The service did not have a registered manager. The previous registered manager had taken up a promotion and had cancelled their registration. A home manager was appointed in September 2017 and was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The registration was completed during the course of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People using the service, their relatives and health and social care professionals were highly complimentary about the standard of care provided. People consistently spoke positively of the kindness and compassionate manner of staff towards them. People using the service and their relatives experienced a care delivery that was inclusive and empowering. This resulted in people enjoying immensely spending their days at the home and an improvement of their well-being.

Staff delivered people’s care in a respectful and dignified manner. People had the privacy they required. People enjoyed professional relationships with the staff who supported them. People consistently remarked staff knew them well and showed the utmost patience and respect to meet their individual needs and preferences. People highly commended staff for creating a comfortable and vibrant environment that made them content.

People at the end of their lives received extremely high standards of care. Comments from people and everyone involved in the provision of end of life care at the service were consistently positive. People and their relatives were unanimous in agreeing that Red Oaks offered end of life care over and above expectations and were exceedingly responsive in meeting people’s needs. Staff had specialist knowledge in various aspects of providing care which considerably enriched the quality of people’s lives. People at the end of their lives and those living with dementia received care in line with best practice guidance and legislation.

People highly commended the range of stimulating and enjoyable activities. Staff creatively used the information they had about people to tailor activities to meet each person’s preferences. The planning and provision of activities took a prominent role at the service and greatly enhanced people’s lives. People had memorable occasions at the service. Staff supported people to enjoy once in a lifetime opportunities in their social lives and to pursue their hobbies and interests. This enabled people to live fulfilling lives. People received support and encouragement to be independent.

People had access to healthcare professionals when needed. Staff managed and administered people’s medicines in a safe manner. People enjoyed the food provided and had sufficient amounts to meet their nutritional needs. People spoke positively of the dining experience and the high standard of meals.

Risks to people’s welfare were identified and managed. Staff understood and followed the safeguarding procedures to champion people’s rights and to minimise the risk of abuse. A sufficient number of suitably recruited and skilled staff were deployed to meet people’s needs.

People were supported by staff who were committed, trained and skilled for their roles. Staff demonstrated a passion in delivering care that made significant changes to people’s daily living. Staff’s practice was monitored and development plans were in place to support their learning.

Care was provided in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People’s needs were assessed and reviewed. Support plans had sufficient guidance for staff on how to deliver care. Health and social care professionals commended staff for involving them in a timely manner and following their guidance when providing people’s care.

Staff had a transparent and open manner about the way they delivered care. Staff learnt from their mistakes and improved their practice. People benefitted from a person centred culture at the service that made them the focus of decisions about their care. Staff were supported in their roles by senior colleagues and the management team.

People’s quality of life improved because of the close working partnerships between the service and external agencies and other health and social care professionals. People enjoyed maintaining links and involvement with their local community.

People using the service and their relatives were confident about raising a concern or making a complaint. The provider ensured people had opportunities to share their views about the service. People’s feedback was acted on to develop the service.

Audits and checks of the service ensured people’s care was subject to monitoring. Improvements were made to the quality of care provided when needed.