Archived: Little Oaks Residential Home

Updated 5 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on the 16 and 19 January 2018 was unannounced; this meant that the staff and provider did not know we were visiting. The inspection was carried out by one inspector. On day one of the inspection the inspector was supported by 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.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that the provider submits to the Commission which gives us key information about the service, what it does well and what improvements they plan to make. We reviewed notifications and any other information we had received since the last inspection. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We spoke with 12 people living at Little Oaks Residential Home who were receiving care and support, five relatives; the registered manager and four care staff. Whist at the home we spoke with a GP and after the visit to the home we sought feedback from other external healthcare professionals. We sought written feedback from six care staff. We reviewed five staff recruitment files and five care plans within the service and cross referenced practice against the provider’s own policies and procedures.

We also contacted social care and healthcare professionals with knowledge of the service. This included people who commission care on behalf of the local authority and health or social care professionals responsible for people who lived in Little Oaks Residential Home.

Updated 5 March 2018

This inspection took place on 16 and 19 January 2018. It was an unannounced visit to the service.

We previously inspected the service on 24 November 2015. At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Little Oaks Residential Home is a care home for older adults. It is located in a residential area of High Wycombe and we found it to have a homely and family atmosphere. It is registered to provide accommodation for 35 people. At the time of our inspection 31 people lived at Little Oaks Residential Home.

Without exception people and their relatives were extremely complimentary about the service. People told us the enjoyed living at the Little Oaks Residential Home. People and their relatives consistently considered Little Oaks Residential Home as their home. People consistently told us they were treated with dignity and respect and we observed this to be the case throughout our inspection. Comments included “They are respectful and treat me very well,” “It’s homely. Nice people,” “Very cosy, homely” and “They are very good and caring, they treat us all like we are their own family.”

Staff consistently demonstrated kindness and compassion towards people. People told us “Very polite. Treat me very well,” “Everyone is very polite and helpful” and “Staff are very nice, helpful and respectful.” People were supported to live the life they chose and engaged in meaningful activities.

Staff were highly motivated to provide personalised care to each person. People were supported to continue with their hobbies and interests. Staff understood people’s likes and dislikes. People and the staff knew each other well and these relationships were valued by people who used the service

The service ensured staff were recruited through a robust and safe process. People told us and we observed there were enough staff on duty to provide safe care.

People were supported to keep healthy and manage their healthcare needs. We received lots of positive comments from external healthcare professionals about how the staff supported people at the end of their life. Staff demonstrated compassion and skill when providing end of life care.

People told us they felt valued and included in decisions about their care and the care home environment. For instance, people were asked about how they would like the home to be decorated.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

The home was supported by an experienced and stable management team, who promoted a clear vision to provide a high quality service to people and their relatives.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.