Latest Inspection
This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 29th September 2009. CQC found this care home to be providing an Good service.
The inspector found there to be outstanding requirements from the previous inspection report but made no statutory requirements on the home.
For extracts, read the latest CQC inspection for The Oaks.
What the care home does well Records suggest that people receive their medication correctly. The ordering, receipt and disposal of medicines is generally well managed and staff handling medicines are appropriately trained and assessed before giving medicines to people in the home What the care home could do better: Storage of medicines could be improved and medicines with a limited use once opened should be marked with the date of opening. Handwritten entries should be signed, dated and witnessed to confirm their accuracy. Regular checks that all medicines have been administered as prescribed should be completed at intervals during the day and formally recorded. Random inspection report
Care homes for adults (18-65 years)
Name: Address: The Oaks Blaydon Bank Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE21 4PU two star good service The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed review of the service. Details of how to get other inspection reports for this care home, including the last key inspection report, can be found on the last page of this report. Lead inspector: Michael Earnshaw Date: 2 9 0 9 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: The Oaks Blaydon Bank Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE21 4PU 01914141742 NOFAX Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Miss Fiona Karen McCoull,Mrs Kathleen McCoull care home 9 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 4 learning disability Conditions of registration: Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home 9 The Oaks provides personal care and support for 9 people with learning difficulties, with an age range between 50 to 71 years of mixed genders. It is privately owned and managed by one of the proprietors. The home cannot provide nursing care. It is located on a steep bank in Blaydon close to local amenities, including a shopping mall, library, medical health centre, local churches and public houses. Access to public transport to the City of Newcastle, Gateshead and the Metro Centre is a short distance away and there is a bus stop close to the home. The property is a converted 2 storey Victorian building offering single bedroom accommodation. The ground floor provides the communal facilities, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom fitted with an over the bath hoist. The home does not have lift facilities and there is no space available to install one, therefore the home remains unsuitable for people with physical disabilities. Internal access to the second floor level is by means of a wide staircase to further bedrooms,
Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 9 Brief description of the care home bathroom and WC, which are directly off the staircase onto a mezzanine level. The home has a small garden to the front and a paved area to the rear. There are plenty of on-street car parking spaces to the side of the home; parking is restricted to the front. The weekly fees are #338.96 to #485.94 per week depending upon care needs. Additional charges are made for hairdressing, outings, toiletries, newspapers, and transport. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 9 What we found:
The reason for the visit was to undertake a pharmacist inspection of the service. The visit lasted four hours and involved looking at the current medication administration record charts (MARs), ordering and receipt documents and medication storage and handling within the home. Medication administration was not observed during this visit. During the visit we gave verbal feedback to the senior carer on duty, Helen Blisset in the presence of the home administrator. The outcome is as follows: Arrangements in the home for the storage and security of medicines could be improved. The wooden cupboards used to store medication are also used for the storage of documents and a range of non-medical items. Consequently, there is not enough space to adequately separate some medicines between the different service users. This also makes stock control more difficult The bolts on the bottom door of the cupboard are inadequate to ensure that the cupboard is securely fastened. Temperature records for the medicines fridge indicated that the fridge is not being maintained within the range of 2 to 8 degrees centigrade, the recommended range for medicines requiring refrigeration, and the fridge required defrosting. The current MARs were looked at for all service users and some medicines were counted and checked against the record of doses administered. There were few gaps in the administration records, although for one person there was no record of three medicines being given on one day and the doses still remained in the monitored dose pack. There were no other significant discrepancies between the quantities of medicines supplied, the number of doses recorded and the quantities of medicines remaining. This indicates that people are generally getting their medication as prescribed. There were no photos of service users kept with the MARs and this may increase the risk of medicines being given to the wrong person, particularly if a new member of staff is involved. There was also no record of staff authorised to administer medicines. Copies of signatures and initials are helpful in identifying who was involved in administration if a problem or error occurs. There were a number of handwritten entries on MARs providing additional administration guidance, or adding medication not already printed on the chart. These entries were generally not fully completed to include the signature of the person making the entry, the date of the entry, the signature of a witness to confirm that the entry is complete and accurate or the quantity of any medication received into the home. The medicines policy provides clear information on most aspects on managing medicines in the home but does not provide detailed good practice guidance on how handwritten entries on MARs should be completed. We were informed that regular counts of medication are undertaken weekly and that a check of all the administration records is undertaken at the start of each working shift. This is good practice and helps identify any discrepancies with administration promptly and helps ensure that people get all their medication as prescribed. The staff on duty were unclear about what regular audit of the medication system took place and were unable to provide a copy of any recent audit at the time of the inspection. The provision of medication training for staff handling medicines and subsequent
Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 9 assessment of their competency is well managed and full records are maintained. There were several containers of ointments and creams which did not have a date of first opening on, and some of these appeared to have been in use for much longer than three months, the usual life of shelf life for these medicines once opened. Advice should be obtained from the supplying pharmacy and containers of these medicines should be marked with the date they were first opened so that staff know whether they are still safe to use. The ordering, receipt and disposal of medicines is well organised and a full audit trail is maintained, although the quantity of ointments and creams carried over from the previous month is not always recorded on the MARs. What the care home does well: What they could do better: If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details set out on page 2. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 5 of 9 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes R No £ Outstanding statutory requirements
These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action 1 24 16 The refurbishment plans for the home must be completed. (Previous timescale of 24 May 2005 not met) 01/04/2008 2 35 18 50 of the staff team must hold a qualification 01/04/2008 Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 6 of 9 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection:
Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service.
No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations 1 20 MAR charts should be checked after each administration round to confirm all medicines have been given and fully recorded. The bolts on the lower medicine cupboard doors should be relocated to improve security. Containers of medicine with a limited use once opened should be marked with the date of opening and staff made aware of when the medicine should be replaced. All handwritten entries on MARs should be signed, dated and witnessed to confirm they are complete and accurate. A list of signatures and initials of staff authorised to administer medicines should be maintained with the MARs. A current photograph of each service user should be kept with the MARs to reduce the risk of medication being given to the wrong person. The medicines fridge should be regularly defrosted and maintained within the appropriate temperature range. 2 3 20 20 4 5 6 20 20 20 7 20 Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 7 of 9 Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service.
No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations 8 20 A copy of the current edition of the British National Formulary should be obtained and made available to staff handling medicines. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 8 of 9 Reader Information
Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report Care Quality Commission General Public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Copies of the National Minimum Standards –Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or got from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. The material should be acknowledged as CQC copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 9 of 9 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. Re-publishing this information is in breach of the terms of use of that website. Discrete codes and changes have been inserted throughout the textual data shown on the site that will provide incontrovertable proof of copying in the event this information is re-published on other websites. The policy of www.bestcarehome.co.uk is to use all legal avenues to pursue such offenders, including recovery of costs. You have been warned!
