25 January 2012
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told the owners of Little Oaks Residential Care Home in Essex that they must make improvements to comply with the essential standards of quality and safety.
Inspectors have found that the home in Braxted Road, Little Braxted, has failed to protect the safety and welfare of its residents.
A report published by CQC says that the provider was not meeting six of the 10 essential standards inspectors looked at and in three of these areas major concerns were identified.
Providers of care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are meeting all essential standards of quality and safety.
The visit to Little Oaks Residential Care Home, which provides residential care for older people, took place in November 2011 as part of CQC’s routine programme of inspections.
When inspectors visited the home they found the care provided was falling short of standards people should be able to expect and improvements were needed.
Areas of major concern included:
Care and welfare of people who use the services
Inspectors found care plans were not always up to date or reflective of people’s needs or they lacked sufficient detail to guide staff. This meant that people living in the home could not be assured that their care needs would be met or that the care provided would be of an acceptable standard.
Requirements relating to workers
Inspectors found staff files were not always up to date or complete. This meant that people living in the home may not always be cared for by staff that had been safely recruited.
Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision
Staff inspectors spoke with said they were not aware of new CQC regulations or that the law had changed since October 2010. A discussion took place about the need to ensure that all staff were aware of any changes in the law and the need for them to be working to the essential standards of quality and safety. No effective quality assurance system was in place.
Frances Carey, Regional Director of CQC in the East of England, said: “The failings at Little Oaks Residential Care Home are a real concern and improvements need to be made.
“The provider needs to ensure its care plans are up to date and contain the right information to guide staff so that people receive the support they need. It also needs to ensure it has robust systems in place to check its service provision.”
During their visit, inspectors also identified minor concerns about the safety and suitability of premises, staffing and supporting staff.
Frances Carey added: “CQC has been working closely with Essex County Council to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the residents and we have told the provider where they need to improve.
“Where improvements are not made we have a range of enforcement powers that can be used, including prosecution, closure or restriction of services. “
Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
Ends
For further information please contact Helen Gildersleeve, regional communications manager, on 0191 233 3379. The CQC press office is also available on 0207 448 9401 or out-of-hours on 07917 232 143.
Notes to editors
Read the reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Little Oaks Residential Care Home.