We carried out a review of the data available to us about Oakhaven Residential Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Oakhaven Residential Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
We found the following examples of good practice.
¿ The service was clean and free of malodour. There was a cleaning schedule in place to ensure that all areas of the service were cleaned.
¿ The service had implemented personal protective equipment (PPE) stations which were situated near the main entrance and throughout the home.
¿ Visitors were supported by staff to ensure they followed safe infection control, PPE guidance and to check whether they had any symptoms of coronavirus before entering the home. This included taking the visitor's temperature, completing a risk assessment questionnaire and completing a test for Covid-19.
¿ The service had a designated indoor area for visitors that was used for relatives to visit their loved ones. This area was also used by professionals who visited the service. This area had its own entrance to minimise the spread of infection in the service.
¿ People were supported to receive regular testing for Covid-19.
¿ All people being admitted to the service were tested for coronavirus by the care staff on admission. All people being admitted to the home, were required to self-isolate in their rooms to minimise the risk of the spread of infection.
¿ Staff were compliant with weekly testing requirements and the registered manager ensured test results were followed up when not received. When unclear results had been received, the registered manager and provider sought and followed advice from PHE.
¿ Staff were required to change into their uniform in a designated area when they first came on shift. Staff were required to change out of their uniform after each shift. This was then washed to minimise the risk of the spread of infection.
¿ Individual risk assessments had been conducted on staff which identified any vulnerabilities they may have in relation to coronavirus and any mitigating action that the provider needed to implement.
¿ The service had developed a COVID-19 outbreak plan which detailed how they would manage any risks and outbreaks. This included areas such as ensuring people’s health needs were maintained and the service had sufficient staffing levels to support people during an outbreak.
¿ The service had appropriate infection control policies and procedures in place. These had been developed in line with current government guidance. There was signage around the home for staff and visitors on what measures were being taken to minimise the risk of spread of infection.
Oakhaven Residential Care Home is a care home, providing accommodation and personal care to 18 older people at the time of the inspection. Some people using the service had been diagnosed as living with dementia. The service is registered to support up to 27 people.
Oakhaven provides accommodation over two floors. 18 rooms have en-suite facilities and people had access to three fully-adapted bathrooms. Stairs or a passenger lift were used to access the first floor. The home and gardens were well presented. The ground floor and garden were wheelchair accessible. People had access to two lounges and a dining room.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People continued to receive an outstandingly responsive service. Since our previous inspection, the provider had been proactive in further improving the service available to people. New systems were in place to manage people’s care records, including their support plans and medicines records. These systems had improved the timeliness and effectiveness of care provided by ensuring medicines errors were reduced, improving communication within the staff team and with health care professionals and ensuring planned care was given on time.
People, their relatives and staff benefitted from an inclusive and empowering ‘people first’ culture where all felt safe, valued and listened to. People’s care was designed around their individual needs and preferences and people were enabled to continue living their lives as they wished. This included continuing to do things they had always enjoyed, like meeting friends in town.
Assessments were completed to manage risks to people and people’s communication needs were considered when providing information to them. Staff worked creatively and flexibly to maintain people’s freedom and independence when risks to them changed and more support was needed. Staff involved health care professionals to increase people’s well-being and independence and in response to their changing health needs.
People had access to a fulfilling and active social life. This included regular opportunities to go out and to enjoy a wide range of activities and events that were meaningful and relevant to them. People’s relatives were welcomed and invited to join any events or outings as they wished to. People’s feedback was sought regularly to ensure the service continued to be person-centred and responsive to their needs. Staff focused on people’s goals, happiness and contentment.
People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff and the support provided. Without exception, people and relatives praised the staff for their caring attitude and commitment. The staff valued and respected people’s decisions about how they wanted to lead their lives and the support they required. Staff understood the different and diverse needs of people and delivered care which was non-judgemental and promoted equality.
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.
The registered manager/owner was committed to ensuring people received a high-quality service and demonstrated their values and vision in guiding and supporting the staff team. Staff understood what was expected of them, enjoyed their jobs and were happy to work creatively and flexibly in caring for the people they supported.
The governance and audit systems were effective in ensuring required standards were maintained. There was a strong ethos of continuous learning, development and improvement of the service within the management team. A variety of local and national resources were accessed to drive improvement and development.
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 ‘Outstanding’ (published 13 May 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
At our last inspection on 9 April 2015 this service was rated as Good overall.
People received an exceptionally high standard of care and personal support. The ethos of Oakhaven to provide “the very best care and opportunities” for people was embedded into the daily lives of people and the practice of staff. People’s care and support was highly individualised. Their wishes and preferences had been discussed with them and those important to them. Their care records reflected these and were kept up to date with their changing needs. When they had accidents, incidents or their needs changed, staff were extremely responsive working closely with a range of health care professionals to keep them safe and make sure they had access to the support and equipment they needed. People’s health and wellbeing was paramount. Their medicines were administered safely and their nutritional needs were taken into account to make sure they were as well as they could be.
People had talked about their end of life wishes and staff showed compassion, understanding and empathy for people and their relatives. When needed, staff worked closely with health care professionals to make sure people had a peaceful and pain free experience. People’s final wishes were respected and staff remained with people and those important to them offering support and sympathy if this is what they wanted.
People benefitted from staff who had access to a comprehensive programme of training tailored to their individual needs. The training manager delivered training which reflected people’s conditions and related the theory to the practical support and care they required. This meant staff could really understand and visualise how their new knowledge could be put into practice. This had not only improved the support provided to people living with dementia but also resulted in a life-saving response to a person who had sepsis. The management team valued staff by supporting them to develop in their roles, nurturing and mentoring them as well as giving praise and encouragement.
People enjoyed a range of meaningful activities based on their interests and hobbies. They were invited to join pre lunch balloon exercises to music most days. Activities offered included Tai Chi classes, music recitals, trips out, a “knit and natter” group, board games and quizzes. Special events were held throughout the year to which family and friends were invited. A wish tree had been filled with requests for gifts or activities by people. One of which included a swim for a person celebrating their 100th birthday. Children from local schools and colleges entertained people with music or spent time helping them. People attended local places of worship and a Chaplain held communion in the home as well as offering a 24 hour pastoral service. Visitors commented, “Lovely to see Mum downstairs enjoying herself” and “You made our stay a stimulating one”.
People’s views and opinions were sought to help to improve the quality of the service. Their feedback to surveys, at reviews of their care and during resident’s meetings were listened to and action taken to address any issues raised. In response, adaptations had been made to the environment, carpets had been cleaned and staff levels had been reviewed. Robust quality assurance processes were in place to make sure the standards of care and support and a safe environment were maintained. Links with local and national organisations made sure the management team kept up to date with best practice ensuring people “received the best care” possible.
The registered manager was supported by a management team who together strove to deliver a service of the highest standards. They constantly reviewed how they could do things differently to provide a better experience for people living in the home. Staff said resources to achieve this were not a problem whether financing activities, special events, new care planning systems or additional staffing. People were confident raising concerns with the management team and any issues were dealt with as they arose. Staff knew if they had any issues they would be listened to and the appropriate action taken in response. Visitors and health care professionals spoke positively about the standards of care. People staying for short visits often decided to continue living in the home after their stay. A relative commented, “It really is outstanding care.” One visitor told us, “Oakhaven for me is the tops and sometimes I think this is a little bit of heaven on earth!”
This was an unannounced inspection which took place over two days on the 9 and 10 April 2015. Oakhaven Residential Care Home provides care for 27. Accommodation can be provided for people who wish to live together. People have access to two lounge areas, a dining room, 16 of the bedrooms have en-suites, and three bathrooms. The grounds around the home are well presented and accessible to all people. At the time of our inspection 23 people were living there. There were seven people living in the home who had been diagnosed as living with dementia.
The home has two registered managers one of whom is also the owner. 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.
The vision and values of Oakhaven were embedded in the way it was managed and how staff worked. Striving to be “the best that it can in all respects” Oakhaven provided individualised care and support which reflected people’s preferences, wishes and future needs. A commitment to enhance people’s quality of life and to value people’s experiences to make improvements were paramount. Visiting professionals and external organisations commended them on their good practice and their goal to provide high quality care. People, relatives and visitors commented on their positive experiences of care and support and were confident even the smallest concerns would be listened to and acted upon.
People were fully involved in the planning of their care from their initial visits through to planning for the end of their lives. Care and support focussed on each person’s individual needs, their likes, dislikes and routines important to them. Where people were unable to consent to their care or support best interests meetings were held with people important to them. When people’s needs changed staff reacted promptly involving other social and health care professionals if needed. Wherever possible people’s independence was encouraged from directing staff with their eyes to choose their clothes for the day to joining a local gym.
People’s health, well-being and safety were paramount. They were supported by staff with an excellent understanding of their needs and access to robust training and personal development. Staff were equipped with the skills and knowledge to support people when unwell or to reduce risks to their safety. People were supported with compassion, concern and care. Visitors commented, “Staff work well as a team, they work in the same direction with the resident at the centre” and “They take my breath away, nothing is too much trouble”.
Where people had specific care needs or conditions guidance was provided for staff about the care and support they needed. If equipment was needed this was put in place or advice was sought from social or health care professionals. People who wished to manage their medicines were supported to do so, otherwise robust systems were in place to help people to take their medicines safely.
A range of activities were organised based on people’s choices such as trips out to the countryside, music and movement, gardening or pamper sessions. Visitors joined relatives or friends for activities, meals or social events. People chose the meals they wished to eat and decided where to eat them. Special diets were available for people at risk of losing weight or who were at risk of choking. Staff supported people with their meals.
People’s feedback was a vital part of the quality assurance system either through annual surveys, residents’ meetings, complaints or reviews. They were listened to and action was taken to make improvements to their quality of life. The registered managers monitored and audited the quality of care provided striving to meet the ever changing needs of people living in the home. Contact with local and national organisations kept them in touch with best practice so they could keep “abreast of the changing face of social care”.
People who lived in the home were positive about the service and said they were treated with dignity and respect. Each person commented they were happy living in Oakhaven. People said they could talk to staff to make changes to their care and that staff treated them as individuals.
People told us they had good relationships with the staff and were able to talk to staff if they had any worries or concerns. Staff were able to tell us what action they would take if they saw anything which might affect the well-being of the person using the service.
The records held by the service were complete, well set out and kept up to date. This helped and supported staff to maintain the comfort and well-being of people using the service.
Systems were in place for monitoring the service and collecting people's views on the quality of the care they received. The registered manager and the owner were regularly in the home and people's views were surveyed through annual questionnaires. The summaries of the survey were published so people could read the actions taken by the home to make changes or improvements to the service.
Having assessed the available evidence, we considered the service demonstrated how it met the safety and care needs of the people living in the home.
We found that people's consent or the consent of their family and advocates was received before providing care and support. People's needs were assessed and care plans and risk assessments provided a person centred overview of how they wished to be supported.
People had access to a range of social and health care professionals. We found that the home worked closely with them to promote the health, welfare and safety of people.
The home was well maintained and kept in good condition. People told us their rooms were kept clean and they were happy with their accommodation. People said they liked to have meals in the garden in the warmer weather.
We found that recruitment and selection processes were in place to check that staff were of good character and had the skills and experience to work with people. People told us "staff really are brilliant".
People had the opportunity to give feedback about the service they received. There was evidence that their views were used to effect change within the service. We found that the home was meeting all the standards inspected.
We found that prescribed nutritional supplement is not always given as required potentially placing people's health and well being at risk.
A further compliance action was made about record keeping:
Records of care and arrangements for providing care where individuals have specific
needs such as maintaining skin integrity and responding to pressure sore care are not
completed as required to evidence that the appropriate care is given.
This review looked at information we have received from the provider in response to our report and compliance actions that we set.
We are now satisfied that the provider has addressed the areas of concerns and improved their practice in relation to the issues we raised.
Individuals made a number of comments to us about the care they receive and about living at Oakhaven Residential Care Home.
"This home is very nice and comfortable, they do their best to make it like home", "the food is gorgeous".
"The staff are all very friendly and kind", "good staff".
"Food and entertainment are the best things here".
"I give the home 100%".
We spoke with a relative who was very satisfied with the care that her relative received in the home. They told us: "staff are always approachable and keep me informed", "its very homely and they always make me feel welcome", "I would highly recommend this home".
Two district nurses we spoke with told us: "they are doing such good care", "we have a good relationship with the home", " we are very happy with the level of care".