Oxlip House

Updated 1 August 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an inspector, an assistant inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because we wanted consent to speak with people. We arranged a focus group in the communal areas of Oxlip House so that people could tell us their experience.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 16 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff and the providers representative, the registered manager and team leader.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 1 August 2019

About the service

Oxlip House is extra care housing. The service covers 52 self-contained flats. 39 flats were shared ownership and 13 flats were rented by the local authority. The service had 50 care and support packages, but more people were resident at Oxlip House as there were couples living together.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People using the service were happy and well cared for. They were cared for in a way which reflected their preferences and met their needs. They liked the care staff and told us they were polite, caring and kind. The care staff arrived on time and stayed for the right length of time for each visit. People received their medicines in a safe way. They were involved in planning their care and making choices about this. One person told us, “Everything is fine here. The staff are excellent. They are always smiling and are there when you need them.”

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.

The staff were well supported and enjoyed working at Oxlip House. They continued to have access to a range of suitable training and had the skills they needed to care for people. The provider's recruitment procedures made sure only suitable staff were employed. They regularly met with their manager and discussed their work and any queries they had. The registered manager assessed the staff in the work place to make sure they were following procedures and delivering effective care.

There were procedures designed to safeguard people from abuse, and the staff were familiar with these. The staff knew to record any accidents, incidents or complaints and these were investigated and responded to. The staff were provided with protective clothing, such as gloves and aprons.

There continued to be systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service and making improvements. The registered manager liaised with people using the service and staff to ask for their feedback and ideas. There were a range of suitable policies and procedures which the people using the service and staff had access to.

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 this service was Good (published on 7 December 2016).

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.