Oak Park Care Home

Updated 30 December 2021

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.

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 one 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. The Expert by Experience made calls to people and their relatives on 24 November 2021.

Service and service type

Oak Park Care Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 24 November 2021 and ended on 9 December 2021.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the regional manager, registered manager, deputy manager, one senior care worker, two care workers and a housekeeper. We looked at three people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including training data and medicines audits were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 30 December 2021

About the service

Oak Park Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 55 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The care home can accommodate up to 66 people in one purpose built adapted building. Accommodation is provided over three floors with a lift to access each floor.

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

Improvements found at the last inspection had been sustained and people were receiving safe and effective care.

The homes risk framework had improved and risks to people were assessed and managed. There were clear care plans in place to guide staff in how to provide care safely. People were receiving their medicines safely and records were accurate. There were effective systems to monitor incidents and accidents and to make improvements when things went wrong. Staffing levels were safe and recent recruitment had been successful.

The service was homely, and people's bedrooms had been personalised with their own possessions. No complaints had been received and guidance was available to support staff to deal with any concerns.

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.

Staff had received the training and support they needed to care for people's needs. Staff were proactive in ensuring people could access the health care services they needed. People were being supported to have enough to eat and drink and spoke highly of the food available. One person told us, “The food is very good, sometimes they will make me an alternative meal if I don’t fancy what is on the menu. I get lots of drinks and they leave me a jug of juice too.”

People were provided with a good quality service, which was regularly assessed and closely monitored. Any shortfalls identified were addressed without delay and oversight at the home had greatly improved. People provided us with positive feedback about the staff team and the registered manager of the home, who were described as kind, caring and approachable.

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 requires improvement (published 4 February 2020) and there were two breaches of regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We reviewed the information and data made available to us about Oak Park Care Home on 25 November 2021 during our Direct Monitoring Call (DMA) with the registered manager. DMA is an approach to monitoring, with clear areas of focus to enable us to continually monitor risk in a service. During this activity we noted improvements had been made and wanted to reassess the service with a comprehensive inspection.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at 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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.