Archived: Oak House

Oak House provides accommodation and personal care without nursing for up to 13 persons who may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection 13 people were living at the service.

The service has a 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good, at this inspection, we found the service remained Good overall.

The service was safe. The provider’s recruitment processes ensured that appropriate checks were carried out before staff commenced employment. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet the needs of people and keep them safe from potential harm or abuse. People’s health and wellbeing needs were assessed and reviewed to minimise risk to health. The service had a good management and monitoring structure in place for medication.

The service was effective. People were cared for and supported by staff who had received training to meet their needs. The staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People were supported to eat and drink enough as to ensure they maintained a balanced diet and referrals to health and social care services was made when required.

The service was caring. Staff cared for people in an empathetic and kind manner. Staff had a good understanding of people’s preferences. Staff always worked to promote people’s independence through encouraging and supporting people in their individual abilities.

The service was responsive. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and were updated if changes to people’s needs was found. People were supported to follow their interests and participate in social activities. The service had a robust complaints procedure in place.

The service was Well Led. The service had systems in place to monitor and provide good care and these were reviewed on a regular basis. The provider told us that current systems and processes were being updated to ensure improvements to the service would be made in a timely way.

Relatives of people that used the service told us that they had no concerns about how people were treated and that they were very happy with the level of care and activity provided. One person told us, "I am very happy with the care my mum receives, the staff have always treated her with respect."

We saw people were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink to meet their needs. People who used the service were involved in the planning of the food menu.

Staff told us that they felt supported in their role and had access to good levels of training to develop and update their skills.

The pre-admission assessments, care plans and risk assessments were detailed and informative. People told us that they met their needs. They said that all of the staff were very supportive. We found that staff had been trained and had received regular updates in their training. Staff told us that they felt well supported to do their work. People had expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.