Ocknell Park

Updated 2 February 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 3 inspectors, one of whom was a medicines specialist. An Expert by Experience contacted relatives by telephone after the inspection to obtain feedback. 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

Ocknell Park is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Ocknell Park is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post, however a manager had been recruited to the role and would apply to be registered by CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we already held about the service. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people about their experiences living at Ocknell Park. We also spoke with the manager, 2 deputy managers, 2 regional deputy directors, the cook, 3 support workers and a visiting GP.

We looked at 5 financial records, 4 care records, staff records for 3 Ocknell Park staff and 5 agency staff inductions and multiple medicines records. We reviewed multiple records relating to the management of the service.

Following the inspection we spoke with 5 relatives to get their feedback about the service.

Updated 2 February 2023

About the service

Ocknell Park is a residential care home] providing personal care to up to 12 people. The service provides support to younger adults who have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder or who are living with mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection there were 6 people using the service.

Ocknell Park can accommodate 11 people in the main premises and a further person in a self-contained annex in the grounds.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support

People were supported by a staff team familiar with their needs and wishes. One to one staff supported individuals according to their care plans and maintained a safe distance keeping people in sight but not crowding them. Staff had completed relevant training and were recruited safely to ensure they were suited to working with people who have learning disabilities. People were supported to take risks to enable their participation in their community or activities they were interested in.

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.

Right Care

We saw caring and appropriate interactions between staff and people and staff used de-escalation techniques to support people who needed additional support. People who had previously been reluctant to participate in community activities had developed interests locally with staff support.

Right Culture

Recent changes to the management team had improved staff morale and had ensured people’s care was person centred and less restrictive. Staff members told us they felt supported by management and the service was one agency staff enjoyed working at.

During our inspection we found some areas that needed improvement. The provider replaced fixtures in the laundry immediately after the inspection and improvements we had asked for in medicines were also completed before we completed our report. The provider was committed to ensuring a safe service for people.

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 8 June 2021).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing numbers, lack of male staff, care plans not being followed, violent incidents and staff concerns at speaking up. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. The overall rating for the service has changed remained good, based on the findings of this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ocknell Park on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.