Archived: Oakwood House Residential and Nursing Home

Updated 26 October 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This unannounced inspection took place on 6 and 8 September 2016 and undertaken by two inspectors on the first day and one inspector on the second day.

We reviewed information we had received about the service such as notifications. This is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also looked at information sent to us from other stakeholders, for example the local authority and members of the public.

We spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives. We observed the care and support provided to people and the interaction between staff and people throughout our inspection.

We looked at records in relation to six people’s care. We spoke with the registered manager and 12 members of staff including nursing, care, administration, activities, domestic, gardening and catering staff. We looked at records relating to the management of the service, staff recruitment and training, and systems for monitoring the quality of the service.

Updated 26 October 2016

Oakwood House Residential and Nursing Home provides accommodation and personal and nursing care for up to 24 people, some living with dementia and/or other mental health conditions.

There were 24 people living in the service when we inspected on 6 and 8 September 2016. This was an unannounced inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We have recommended that the service develops a system to calculate the numbers of staff required to meet people’s needs and seek guidance from a reputable source on staffing levels which takes into account the needs of people and the layout of the building.

Improvements were needed in the training provided to ensure that staff were provided with the information they needed regarding the specific and complex needs that people living in the service had.

The recruitment of staff was done to make sure that they were suitable to work in the service and people were safe.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. Risk assessments provided guidance to staff on how risks to people were minimised. There were appropriate arrangements in place to ensure people’s medicines were stored and administered safely.

The service was up to date with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 20015 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People’s nutritional needs were assessed and met. People were supported to see, when needed, health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner. People and/or their representatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

People were provided with personalised care and support which was planned to meet their individual needs. People were provided with the opportunity to participate in activities which interested them. A complaints procedure was in place. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner and used to improve the service.

Where the service needed to improve in some areas, the provider was aware of these and committed to delivering safe care to people. There was an open and empowering culture in the service. People were asked for their views about the service and they were valued and listened to.