The Oxfordshire nursing home has apologised to residents after concerns were raised at staffing level and then condemned by inspectors.
Nursing and housing at Oaken Holt, located on Eynsham Road, Farmoor, was told “improvements are needed” after a test from the Care Quality Committee (CQC).
After an examination conducted between December 18th last year and January 13th this year, it was said that the house was rated as “needed to improve” to be safe and well-identified.
It was rated “good” in the caring, effective and responsive category. However, the overall evaluation was “improvement is needed.”
In a statement, a care home spokesman said:
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“We would like to take this opportunity to once again apologize to our residents and their loved ones, as it is clear that we are not meeting the high standards we have set for ourselves.
“As recognized in the report, there is a clear plan to address areas identified as needing improvements to provide the highest standard of care based on existing excellent practices. Since the inspection, we have implemented many measures, including monthly safety audits, residents and family feedback sessions, new quarterly reviews of recruitment strategies, and regular staff training.
“We look forward to welcoming CQC in the future. Meanwhile, we continue to strive tirelessly to provide the highest quality care to our residents.”
The CQC report states, “People care plans are not always clear and consistent up-to-date to ensure staff are able to support people properly.
“Risks to people's safety are not always effectively managed, and documentation, including assessments, does not always reflect people's risks and support needs.
“There was a safe recruitment process in place, but the service was struggling to recruit staff. As a result, staff were supplemented by numerous agency staff. People received their medicines in a timely and safe manner.
“If people missed the drug, the documents didn't always prove what actions were taken.
“We had a newly implemented governance system in place, but these were not yet embedded in practice and we had not identified some of the shortages found during the assessment.”
The report added: “We have not consistently assessed, monitored or mitised risks to people's health, safety and well-being, as well as the risks associated with care needs.
“Related relatives have noted a decline in standards of care, saying they are concerned about changes made to their homes within the last 12 months.
“My relatives didn't always feel their complaints were listening, but they were hoping for a positive change in the new management team.”
