• Care Home
  • Care home

The Oaks Care Home

Overall: Inadequate read more about inspection ratings

15-25 Oaks Drive, Lexden, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3PR (01206) 764469

Provided and run by:
Aurem Care (The Oaks) Limited

Report from 9 September 2024 assessment

Ratings

  • Overall

    Inadequate

  • Safe

    Inadequate

  • Effective

    Good

  • Caring

    Requires improvement

  • Responsive

    Requires improvement

  • Well-led

    Inadequate

Our view of the service

The Oaks Care Home is registered to provide accommodation, personal and nursing care for up to 61 people who may have a physical disability, living with dementia, or requiring end of life care. At the time of our assessment 53 people lived at the service. This assessment was prompted in part due to concerns we received in relation to safeguarding and leadership of the service. We found 6 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to dignity and respect, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, premises and equipment, safe and effective staffing and governance. In the dementia nursing area we were not assured there was enough equipment available for people to access the limited communal space whenever they wished. Additionally, communal space across the service was not being utilised to ensure people could access a communal lounge or dining space easily. People and relatives told us there were not enough staff as people had to wait for support. Risks to people’s care and support was not always mitigated as monitoring charts were not completed in line with guidance. People’s dignity was not always respected as they were taken to communal areas in their beds. We were not assured the provider was reporting safeguarding concerns appropriately. The provider did not have effective systems in place to ensure governance systems were robust or were able to identify the concerns found during this assessment. This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provides a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide. During the assessment we were informed of recent changes to the senior team with a new clinical lead appointed and plans to recruit a new manager.

People's experience of this service

People and relatives told us there were not enough mobility chairs available to enable people to access communal areas or attend activity events and this meant people were taken to activities whilst in bed which impacted on their privacy and dignity. This also meant people did not always have choice and control on how they could spend their time. We received mixed feedback about staffing and some people told us they often had to wait for care and support. Relatives told us they were not assured their complaints were taken seriously. People told us most staff were kind and caring.