Archived: Oak Lodge Residential Home

Oak Lodge is registered to provide care and accommodation to a maximum of 15 older people. At the time of our inspection visit there were 15 people living at home. The provider was also the registered manager.

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.

Measures in place to ensure staff and the emergency services had the information needed to support people effectively in the event of a fire, or other emergency required improvement. Some emergency exits within the home were not fully and easily operational. Action was taken to address this following our inspection visit.

People were protected from the risks of abuse because staff received training in safeguarding and understood their responsibilities to raise any concerns. The registered manager checked staff were suitable for their role before they started working at the home and made sure there were enough staff to support people safely. Medicines were stored, administered and managed safely.

People and their relatives were included in planning how they were cared for and supported. Risks associated with people’s care were identified and care was planned to minimise the risks. The management team regularly checked essential supplies and equipment were safe for people to use.

People were cared for and supported by an established staff team who were well trained and sufficiently skilled to meet people’s need effectively. The registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People received a choice of meals and drinks that met their individual needs and were supported to access healthcare services when needed.

People and staff felt well cared for. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged people to maintain their independence according to their wishes and abilities. People were encouraged to maintain their interests and take part in meaningful activities in the home and in the local community.

People told us they felt safe living at Oak Lodge and staff were happy working at the home. The management team and staff understood people’s individual needs, preferences, likes and dislikes. Care records were personalised and up to date.

People and relatives were complimentary about the quality of service provided and the way the home was managed. Staff felt supported and valued by the management team. The management team completed regular checks to monitor the quality of service provided and invited people and relatives to share their views about the service. The provider used feedback to ensure the service continually improved.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Below is a summary of what we found. If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.

Is the service safe?

We saw there were robust systems in place to assess and check appropriate and safe care was being delivered. These included daily and monthly internal audits. These audits included monitoring checks on the safety and maintenance of the service and to obtain the views of staff and people who use the service.

We saw the home had a medication management policy in place. Staff who administered medication had received training and supervision records confirmed the manager monitored their ongoing competency.

The service was subject to regular review and actions were taken to minimise risk.

The provider had appropriate security arrangements in place to protect people who lived at the service. We found that the entrance door was secure and visitors could only enter the building with the knowledge of the staff. People told us they felt safe and secure in the home and had the freedom to go outside if they wished.

Is the service effective?

We looked at four care plans. People's individual needs were established before they began to use the service. We saw people's files contained comprehensive assessments carried out prior to admission.

We saw people's care was planned and delivered in line with their individual needs. Each person had a care plan in place which provided personalised information. The care plans were divided into sections to include physical health, mental health, hygiene, food and drink, spiritual needs, social life and risk assessments. The indexing of the care plans allowed staff to locate information easily.

It was clear from what we saw and from speaking with staff that they understood people's care and support needs and they knew them well.

Is the service caring?

Care plans had been regularly reviewed to ensure there was up-to-date information on the person's needs and how these were to be met.We saw some care plans indicated specific actions had to be taken if people's health declined in a particular way. For example one person had a history of significant symptoms of mental ill-health. The care plan defined what actions needed to be taken. We asked a care worker to give us an account of the care this person required. Without any prompting we received a detailed and accurate response.

People were very comfortable, well dressed and clean which demonstrated staff took time to assist people with their personal care needs.

The atmosphere throughout the home was relaxed and we saw staff took time to talk to people. Staff spoke with people respectfully, giving good eye contact and the opportunity to respond.

Is the service responsive?

Care plans recorded what each person could do independently and identified areas where the person required support. When people moved into the home detailed assessments took place which ensured people's independence was maintained.

We saw when people required care from another health care professional this was efficiently arranged.

Is the service well led?

We found the service had an effective quality assurance system in place and any identified actions had led to improvements in the service that people received.

Staff were monitored and supervised in their role to ensure they knew how to provide a high standard of care. The manager told us a range of policies and procedures had been written and developed to support staff in their role. Staff confirmed they could access this information when needed.

Audits were carried out on the environment and services provided. This was to identify, monitor and manage risks to people who used, worked in or visited the service. Examples of these included environmental, medication and support plan audits.

The provider completed a quality survey from people who used the service. This helped people to voice their opinions and comment on all aspects of the service.

Staff told us regular staff meetings were held and they felt very comfortable raising issues with the management of the home. Staff said they were confident they would be listened to and action taken if needed.

We found that where possible people had given their consent to the care and treatment to be provided. We saw staff asked people about their choices. We found that staff had a good knowledge of people's care needs and were aware of people's preferences and choices.

We asked people what it was like to live at Oak Lodge. People were very positive about living at the home. People said, 'It's a lovely place, couldn't wish for anything better' and 'It's a nice place to live, the staff are lovely. It's so friendly and homely.'

We looked in detail at the care provided to three people who lived at Oak Lodge. The care and support plans we viewed held good information and were easy to understand.

We found the home clean and procedures were in place for minimising infections.

The procedure for recruitment made sure staff were safe to work with people and had the skills and knowledge to support people who lived at Oak Lodge

We looked at how complaints were managed. Everyone we spoke with said they would raise any concerns with the managers. No formal complaints had been received by the home.