Oakwood Care Home Service Children and Young People 1 Dochcarty Road Dingwall IV15 9UG Telephone:

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1 Oakwood Care Home Service Children and Young People 1 Dochcarty Road Dingwall IV15 9UG Telephone: Inspected by: Patricia Matheson Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 14 August 2012

2 Contents Page No Summary 3 1 About the service we inspected 5 2 How we inspected this service 7 3 The inspection 10 4 Other information 23 5 Summary of grades 24 6 Inspection and grading history 24 Service provided by: Highland Council Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service: Patricia Matheson Telephone enquiries@careinspectorate.com Oakwood, page 2 of 26

3 Summary This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes about the service. We gave the service these grades Quality of Care and Support 5 Very Good Quality of Environment 5 Very Good Quality of Staffing 5 Very Good Quality of Management and Leadership 5 Very Good What the service does well The service continues to provide young people with a very good level of care and support. The young people resident at the time of the inspection were all very positive about their experience in the unit and the support they received from staff. They spoke about their recent holiday and other activities they have taken part in while at Oakwood. The service actively encouraged feedback on all aspects of the service from all relevant stakeholders. There were regular team development days which assisted in team building and communication. What the service could do better The manager and staff recognised the importance of encouraging the young people in their care to be actively involved in the ongoing assessment and improvement of the service. The service identified the need to look at how they worked with those young people who did not have a full time education package in place. Oakwood, page 3 of 26

4 The management recognised the importance of identifying relevant training for staff to ensure they continued to meet the needs of the young people in their care. What the service has done since the last inspection The management and staff have benefited from attending a series of team training and development days and it is anticipated that there will be further training days in the future. The new system of staff appraisals which follows the principles of the continuous learning framework has been introduced. This appears to have been beneficial and allowed staff to recognise and celebrate each other's strengths and look at how they can build on these. Conclusion The quality of care provided by Oakwood has continued to be of a consistently high standard. The management and staff remained committed to the service and its ongoing development. Who did this inspection Patricia Matheson Oakwood, page 4 of 26

5 1 About the service we inspected The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Prior to 1 April 2011, this function was carried out by the Care Commission. Information in relation to all care services is available on our website at This service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April The service operates from purpose built premises in Dingwall. The unit is close to local amenities and is surrounded by fields. Staff working within the care home believe that it is everybody's goal to live a happy life and play a part in the community they live in. To achieve this it requires that young people learn how to get along with other people in a constructive and mutually beneficial way. They require to learn skills that they can use to deal with all the challenges that they may face in the future and are able to make the choices about how they live their own life and take responsibility for it. The main principles that the care home promotes are: dignity privacy choice safety realising potential equality and diversity. The Care Inspectorate will award grades for services based on findings of inspections. Grades for this service may change after this inspection if we have to take enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we uphold or partially uphold a complaint that we investigate. If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it could do more to improve its service, we may make a recommendation or requirement. - A recommendation is a statement that sets out actions the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service but where failure to do so will not directly result in enforcement. - A requirement is a statement which sets out what is required of a care service to comply with the Public Services Reforms (Scotland) Act 2010 and Regulations or Orders made under the Act, or a condition of registration. Where there are breaches of the Regulations, Orders or conditions, a requirement must be made. Requirements are legally enforceable at the discretion of the Inspectorate. Oakwood, page 5 of 26

6 Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support - Grade Quality of Environment - Grade Quality of Staffing - Grade Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade Inspection report continued This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website or by calling us on or visiting one of our offices. Oakwood, page 6 of 26

7 2 How we inspected this service The level of inspection we carried out In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide consistently high standards of care. What we did during the inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection which took place on 27 July and 14 August Feedback was provided to the management team at the end of the inspections. The inspection was carried out by SCSWIS inspector, Patricia Matheson. As requested, the manager sent us an annual return. The manager also completed a self assessment form prior to the inspection. We sent out questionnaires to the young people who were living at Oakwood at the start of the inspection process. Four were completed and returned. We contacted a number of social workers who had either previously placed young people at Oakwood or still had young people living there. We met with all 5 young people who were resident at Oakwood at the time of the inspection, both individually and as a group. We spoke with the manager, the new manager and the deputy manager. We spoke with a number of staff, either individually or as a group as well as spending time in the general company of staff on duty during the inspection. We examined the following documents: Certificate of Registration with SCSWIS Employers Liability Insurance Relevant policies and procedures Care plans and related recordings for 3 young people Risk assessments in place for the young people Medication records Contact records Young people's meeting minutes Accident and incident recording Missing persons records Oakwood, page 7 of 26

8 Restraint log Staff rotas 3 staff files Staff training records Staff team meeting minutes. Grading the service against quality themes and statements We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example, one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality themes and statements. Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs) In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement. Fire safety issues We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at Oakwood, page 8 of 26

9 The annual return Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will inspect the service. Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic Comments on Self Assessment Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self assessment document from the service. We were satisfied with the way the manager had completed this and with the relevant information they had given us for each of the headings that we grade under. The manager identified what she thought the service did well and how she thought some things could be improved. Taking the views of people using the care service into account Four Care Standards questionnaires were completed and returned before the inspection took place by young people currently resident at Oakwood. One young person strongly agreed and 3 young people agreed with the statement 'Overall, I am happy with the quality of care I get here'. Taking carers' views into account As part of the inspection field social workers were contacted and invited to provide feedback. Those workers who commented were positive about Oakwood and the quality of care provided to the young people. Staff were described as being very motivated and proactive in ensuring the needs of young people were being met appropriately. The management and staff were described as being very approachable and helpful. The quality and levels of communication were highlighted as being of a very high standard. Oakwood, page 9 of 26

10 3 The inspection We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and statements. Here are the details of what we found. Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Grade awarded for this theme: Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided by the service. Service strengths The service continued to be proactive in encouraging services users and carers to participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided. There were various opportunities for young people, their families and other relevant stakeholders to give comments and feedback on the service provided. The service had continued to make use of quality assurance questionnaires to get feedback about the quality of the service provided. The questionnaires were given out to the young people, their families and their social workers. They were encouraged to complete the questionnaire and make suggestions and comments. The completed questionnaires were routinely audited and any issues raised were identified and actioned. The manager explained that the young people were reluctant to attend a 'formal' residents meeting so instead they had more informal discussions round the dinner table where anything of importance to the group was discussed. The manager stated that this appeared to be working better. The young people spoken with during the inspection said that they did discuss things with staff when they were all together for a meal. They were of the opinion that they were able to raise anything which might be of importance to them. The young people advised that the manager and staff responded promptly to any issues, concerns or suggestions made. The young people also stated that they found the staff approachable and were able to raise issues, concerns and suggestions at any time with them. They felt that staff listened to them and encouraged them to raise anything which was important to them. The service operated a keyworker system and each young person had an identified member of staff who was their keyworker. Young people met with their keyworker on a regular basis. These meetings provided the individual young person with the opportunity to raise any issues they might have in relation to the care and support Oakwood, page 10 of 26

11 they received. They were also able to provide feedback in more formal meetings such as child plan meetings and Children's Hearings. Young people had access to advocacy services. The Who Cares worker routinely visited the unit and young people could meet with her either as a group or individually. They could also contact the Who Cares worker at any other time as well as other advocacy services. There was regular contact with the young people's families. Family members were encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions both informally and during formal meetings such as reviews. As part of the inspection, several social workers were contacted and asked to provide feedback. They were very positive in their comments about Oakwood and the staff. Social workers were of the opinion that the quality of care and support provided was very good and staff were very approachable and good working relationships had been established. There was a complaints policy and procedure in place. The young people spoken with told us that they were aware of and understood how to make a complaint. The complaints log was seen and this indicated that any complaint a young person made was recorded, as were the actions taken by staff. All complaints were signed off by the manager of the service. Young people also had access to independent advocates such as the Who Cares worker at any time. Areas for improvement The service should continue to promote and encourage the participation of young people, their families and other relevant stakeholders in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided. Grade awarded for this statement: Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Statement 3 We ensure that service users' health and wellbeing needs are met. Service strengths Inspection report continued Ensuring the health and wellbeing needs of all young people were being met continued to be a priority for the service. As part of the inspection process relevant policies and procedures were examined as were the care plans for a random sample of the young people. All young people had a full care plan in place which included information on their Oakwood, page 11 of 26

12 physical health and emotional needs and how these would be met. The care plans and associated records for 3 young people were examined during the inspection. These indicated that the health and wellbeing needs of the young people were a priority for the staff and that appropriate action was taken to ensure that they were being fully met. When a young person was first admitted to the unit, a full health care assessment was completed. This was routinely reviewed and where necessary updated. All young people were registered with a GP, dentist and optician. Where possible, young people were supported to maintain their existing GP and dentist. There was evidence in the daily recording for individual young people and the service's daily diary and message book that appropriate appointments with various health professionals were being made. There was also evidence that appropriate support and practical arrangements were made to ensure the young people were able to attend these appointments. The service had established good working relationships with a variety of health professionals and agencies, including those which provided specialist services. Staff were very good at liaising with various health professionals and other agencies involved with the young people to ensure that all their health and wellbeing needs were being met appropriately. Where appropriate, staff encouraged, facilitated and supported young people to make direct contact with other professionals or made a referral on their behalf. Staff had previously worked with Department of Child and Family Psychiatry, Children 1st and Crocus group. The service had a no smoking policy in place and staff spoke with young people about the health implications of smoking. Smoking cessation programmes were offered and the smoking cessation adviser had previously visited the unit and offered advice and support to young people. As part of the inspection, the medication policy and procedure was examined as was the system to receive, store and administer medication. Normally staff managed the medication for the young people resident at the unit. However, if a young person wished to manage their own medication this was considered on an individual basis and an assessment undertaken. All medication in the unit was stored in a locked cabinet or fridge as appropriate. The service's policy and procedure in relation to medication clearly explained to staff the system for the receipt, storage, administration and disposal of medication. All the staff were very aware of the dietary needs of the young people in their care. Young people were encouraged to eat a healthy diet. The young people were provided with a very varied and healthy selection of meals. During the weekly young people's meetings, the young people were encouraged to take part in deciding the weekly menus. Staff provided guidance to ensure that a balanced diet was offered. Staff had previously attended a training workshop on food and health which was run by a dietician. Staff had found the training useful and had put a number of the Oakwood, page 12 of 26

13 things they had learned into practice to encourage the young people to choose healthier food. Young people could be involved in the preparation of meals and baking to get practical experience. Healthy snacks were always available and there was always a well stocked fruit basket. Young people were encouraged to take part in various physical activities including swimming, football and going to the gym. There were Hi Life cards to allow entry to various local authority leisure centres, gyms and swimming pools. Staff regularly took the young people out for walks in the area and visits to the beach as well as taking them on more adventurous activities. The unit had also purchased several mountain bikes. Staff explained that these had been a success and had been well used by the young people who were currently resident at the unit. During the inspection the young people were observed using the bikes to go into town and to visit friends. The young people said that they liked having the bikes available to them to allow them to go out and to have a bit more independence. Staff had previously attended a range of training courses which promoted the health and wellbeing of young people. Training included diet and nutrition, improving mental and emotional health of vulnerable young people, sexuality and working with young people, and throughcare and after care. Areas for improvement The manager identified the need for more staff to attend training in relation to mental health, emotional health and self harm as well as any other training courses which promoted the health and wellbeing needs of young people. Grade awarded for this statement: Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Oakwood, page 13 of 26

14 Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment Grade awarded for this theme: Statement 2 We make sure that the environment is safe and service users are protected. Service strengths The premises were bright and very welcoming. Since the previous inspection a number of the communal rooms and bedrooms had been freshly decorated. The manager explained that they encouraged the young people to get involved in the redecoration of the lounge, dining room and hallways. They were asked to give suggestions for colour schemes and were also involved in the actual painting. This appears to have encouraged a level of pride and respect for the unit and there has been a noticeable reduction in the amount of damage caused. There was appropriate heating, lighting and ventilation. The premises were relatively new and were in a very good state of repair. The manager explained that any damage or repairs were dealt with promptly. The front door of the house was fitted with a doorbell. All visitors were asked to sign the visitors' book. The young people spoken with during the inspection all made very positive comments about their accommodation, how comfortable it was and how safe they felt living at Oakwood. The protection of the young people within the service was a priority for the management and the staff. There was a safe recruitment procedure in place, appropriate checks and references were completed for all new staff, including enhanced Disclosure Scotland / PVG checks and 2 written references. All staff were registered with Scottish Social Services Council and worked to the SSSC Codes of Practice. All staff were required to complete child protection training as part of the mandatory training programme and also attend refresher courses. The staff spoken with during the inspection confirmed that they were aware of their role and responsibilities in the protection of children in their care. The manager explained that they had established a good relationship with the current local community police officer. When time allowed, they would visit the unit and speak informally with the young people and staff. The service dealt with challenging behaviours appropriately and were not reliant on police intervention. There were appropriate systems in place to record accidents and significant incidents, episodes of restraint and missing persons' records. Following any significant events, Oakwood, page 14 of 26

15 there were debriefing sessions offered to the young people and to the staff involved. These were completed by the member of management on duty. A written record was completed and any actions identified. The frequency of incidents was monitored by the management. At the time of the inspection, incident rates were low. Examination of files confirmed that appropriate risk assessments were completed for each individual young person and were reviewed. Risks were identified and appropriate measures put in place to minimise said risks. All staff received CALM training as part of their mandatory training. They also attended regular refresher courses. As part of the inspection, staff rotas were examined. These indicated that there were very good levels of staff on duty during the day and evening to meet the needs of the young people. The manager and the deputy manager were also present during the day and were available to work on the floor with staff when the need arose. It was noted that extra staff were also asked to work when there was a particular need. Such good levels of staffing allowed for staff to be available to support young people on an individual basis whenever this was required - for example attendance at school, contact with family, attendance at various appointments and meetings, and one to one key worker sessions. Staff had established warm, caring and supportive relationships with the young people. This was evident during the inspection. There was a good rapport between the young people and the staff. The young people were clearly relaxed in the company of the staff and enjoyed some interesting and entertaining conversations. The young people had supervised access to the internet. There were parental controls in place. The service had unit cars for transporting young people to and from school, appointments, activities etc. The vehicles were serviced on a regular basis and there were weekly safety checks undertaken. There were appropriate insurance and MOT certificates in place. Areas for improvement The service should maintain current very good practice. Grade awarded for this statement: Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Statement 4 Inspection report continued The accommodation we provide ensures that the privacy of service users is respected. Oakwood, page 15 of 26

16 Service strengths All young people had their own bedrooms which were located off a corridor away from the communal and meeting rooms and office. All the bedrooms could be locked and each young person had a key for their own room. The layout of the building was such that the bedroom area did not need to be accessed by visitors. Each young person was provided with a welcome pack when they arrived at Oakwood. This included information about the facilities, the routine at Oakwood and any rules, how to access independent advocacy services and also information about the main policies. There was a large dining room with a kitchen area. Off this large room, there was a smaller lounge which was used by the young people to relax in, watch television or play computer games. There was a further small room which the young people could access when they had family contact, when they wished to speak to a member of staff privately or when they just wanted a quiet space to make a telephone call. All staff were very aware of the importance of confidentiality. There was a confidentiality policy and procedure in place which all staff adhered to. Any discussions relating to young people took place privately. All written personal information relating to the young people was stored securely in lockable cupboards within the office. Areas for improvement At the time of the inspection, the welcome booklet for young people was being updated to make it more user friendly with computer graphics and updated information. The manager explained that they were improving how they gathered information from young people and their families and then used this to feed into unit policies. Grade awarded for this statement: Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Oakwood, page 16 of 26

17 Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Grade awarded for this theme: Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service strengths Comments noted under Quality Statement 1.1 are also relevant to this particular quality statement. There was a range of options available for young people, their families and other relevant individuals to give feedback on all aspects of the service provided, including staffing. Any comments and feedback offered was welcomed by the manager and deputy manager and where possible they were acted upon. The service had introduced a new system of staff appraisals which included asking for feedback from a range of stakeholders including young people, the other staff working in the unit and other relevant professionals. They were asked to comment on the practice of individual staff members, highlighting their individual strengths and skills. Staff were then encouraged and supported to build on their existing strengths and skills and develop new ones. At the time of the inspection, several staff had begun this system of appraisal. Staff were generally positive about the process and said it was good to get feedback from their colleagues and to hear what the young people thought their strengths and qualities were. Areas for improvement The manager for the service explained that they were working towards young people being more involved in the recruit of future staff. The service should continue to build on current very good practice and ensure that young people, their families and other relevant stake holders have a range of opportunities to participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Grade awarded for this statement: Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Statement 3 We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice. Oakwood, page 17 of 26

18 Service strengths Inspection report continued Highland Council had in place relevant and robust policies and procedures to ensure that it had a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice. There was a policy and procedure in relation to staff recruitment to ensure that all staff were recruited and inducted in a safe and robust manner and service users were protected. Appropriate checks and references were completed prior to any new staff commencing. All staff were required to complete a period of induction and had to attend a full programme of mandatory training including child protection, health and safety, first aid, food hygiene, fire safety and CALM - Crisis and Aggression Limitation Management. Mandatory training was routinely updated. Staff training records provided a written record of when individual staff had completed mandatory training and when it required to be updated. As part of the induction, staff were required to familiarise themselves with the service's policies and procedures. There was a system in place for all staff to receive supervision and annual staff appraisals. As part of the inspection process, a number of staff files were examined and minutes of individual staff supervision sessions seen. The staff spoken with as part of the inspection confirmed that they received regular supervision as well as an annual staff appraisal. As stated previously, the service had introduced a new system for staff appraisals which was in line with the principles of the Continuous Learning Framework which sets out what people working in Social Services need to be able to do their jobs well now and in the future. The main aim of the framework is to support staff to be the best they can be. The manager explained that although this was a more time consuming process, it would ultimately lead to benefits for the individual staff members, the service as a whole and the young people they cared for. As part of the inspection, staff rotas were viewed. These indicated that during the day and evening there were very good levels of care staff on shift as well as the management team being available during the day. There was a whistle blowing policy and procedure. The management team promoted an open and transparent environment where staff could raise any issues and report poor practice. Open communication was encouraged. Staff were of the opinion that they could report any concerns or poor practice and these would be taken seriously by management and dealt with appropriately. There were regular staff meetings to which all staff were encouraged to attend and take part in. Staff meetings were considered very important both in terms of allowing for greater dialogue between staff and management, and for information sharing and ensuring continuity of care for young people. Oakwood, page 18 of 26

19 Over the last year, there had been a programme of staff development days to promote team building and develop staff skills and knowledge. The training covered a range of topics including emotional intelligence, solution focussed skills, restorative practice and use of self in the residential setting. This programme of training days has been positive in encouraging greater co-operation and team working. The manager was of the opinion that the training in conjunction with the new system of staff appraisals would result in a more cohesive staff team with shared values and goals. The training was to be evaluated and a decision made as to whether any follow up training would be required. Staff were registered with the Scottish Social Services Council. All staff had a copy and worked to the SSSC Codes of Practice. At the time of the inspection, there were a number of staff being supported to complete SVQ's and HNC's. Staff were of the opinion that the manager supported them to undertake relevant training. The management team and staff had very well established working relationships with other professionals and agencies to ensure they were able to meet the individual needs of each young person in their care. There were good levels of communication. This was confirmed during discussions with field social workers as part of the inspection. Staff were considered to be very open in their communication and readily shared relevant information with other agencies. Staff were also good at seeking the advice of others to allow them to better meet the needs of the young people in their care. Areas for improvement In the self evaluation document the manager stated that they would continue to have team training days where they could look at relevant literature, research, good practice etc. which would be beneficial for the ongoing development of the service as well as for the development of the individual workers. The service should maintain current very good practice. Grade awarded for this statement: Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Oakwood, page 19 of 26

20 Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership Grade awarded for this theme: Statement 2 We involve our workforce in determining the direction and future objectives of the service. Service strengths There were excellent opportunities available for all staff to contribute and to be involved in determining the direction and future objectives of the service. The comments relating to staff participation as noted in previous Quality Statements are also relevant to this particular Quality Statement. The staff felt that if they had a suggestion as to how they could improve things for the young people this would be taken on board and considered by the manager. Regular staff meetings took place. All management and staff were encouraged to attend and to actively take part. As part of the inspection, the minutes from the most recent meetings were viewed. The staff spoken with as part of the inspection explained that they were able to add items to the agenda for team meetings and could raise any suggestions, ideas or concerns they might have about the service. Staff were of the opinion that they were listened to and they were encouraged to be involved in determining the direction and future objectives of the service. Staff felt that they were consulted by the management team and kept informed of any developments. Team development days provided another opportunity for all staff and management to put forward suggestions as to how they could improve practice and how they work as a team. Staff routinely received formal supervision as well as appraisals where they could discuss the development of the service as well as their own personal development. The new appraisal system adopted by the service involved highlighting the individual strengths and skills of staff as identified by their colleagues, the young people and other relevant stake holders and then building on these skills and developing new ones. Staff spoken with stated that they were actively encouraged to attend appropriate training to develop their own skills and knowledge which would in turn enhance the quality of the service provided. Areas for improvement The manager for the service identified as an area for improvement the need to continue to have regular team development days to ensure the team continue to feel involved in the progression of the service and feel valued in the suggestions they make. Oakwood, page 20 of 26

21 Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Statement 4 We use quality assurance systems and processes which involve service users, carers, staff and stakeholders to assess the quality of service we provide Service strengths Previous comments relating to participation are also relevant to this Quality Statement. Inspection report continued The management and staff team were all positive about quality assurance systems and processes and considered them as being important methods of assessing the service they provided and looking at how they could develop the service further. They welcomed feedback and where possible actioned any areas for improvement identified. Consulting young people about things which affect them and assisting them to increase levels of participation and decision making in their own lives was important to the staff. Various attempts have been made to encourage the young people to have regular residents meetings however they were reluctant to have these. Instead, more informal 'meetings/discussions' tend to take place round the dinner table or when the young people are all relaxing together. The manager explained this appeared to be a more successful way of getting the young people to participate. The manager and the deputy manager were also available at any time for young people and for staff to approach them with any comments, suggestions or complaints they might have about the quality of the service being provided at Oakwood. Listening to feedback and responding promptly to suggestions and complaints was considered a priority for the manager. Young people and their families were invited and encouraged to attend and take part in any review or planning meetings. Young people were made aware of how to access independent advocacy services, including Who Cares Scotland. The Who Cares worker visited the service on a regular basis and saw the young people both together or individually. She had a very good rapport with the young people and had a good working relationship with staff which was to the benefit of the young people. There was a system in place for staff supervision and staff appraisal which was another method to monitor and evaluate the quality of the service being provided. Oakwood, page 21 of 26

22 The service had continued to make use of quality assurance questionnaires to get feedback from young people, their families and social workers on the standards of care provided as well as inviting any comments or suggestions as to how the service could be improved. The manager explained that they circulated questionnaires on an annual basis. As stated previously, as part of the staff appraisal system, the young people, staff colleagues and other relevant professionals were invited to give feedback on the individual members of the staff team. As part of the inspection, a number of completed feedback forms were seen. These contained some very positive feedback about the various members of staff and highlighted some of their strengths and skills. The service also made use of quality assurance questionnaires to get feedback from staff about the quality of the service provided. At the time of the inspection, there was a Best Value review of residential child care for Highland Council. The review involved obtaining feedback from a range of stakeholders, including young people and their families. The recommendations from this review would be used by the service to improve standards and practice within the unit. The manager explained any changes to service provision would first be considered at a team meeting or team development day to allow all staff to be involved. With regard to the premises and the environment, the appropriate inspections were completed including environmental health and fire. The service also commissioned independent fire checks as well as having an independent agency that monitored all their health and safety needs and offered advice on employment issues. Areas for improvement The service should continue to build on current very good practice. Young people, their families, all staff and any other relevant stakeholders should continue to be offered a range of options to be involved in assessing the quality of the service provided. Grade awarded for this statement: Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Oakwood, page 22 of 26

23 4 Other information Complaints No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection. Enforcements We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last inspection. Additional Information Action Plan Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made, will result in SCSWIS re-grading the Quality Statement within the Management and Leadership Theme as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme for Management and Leadership being re-graded as Unsatisfactory (1). Oakwood, page 23 of 26

24 5 Summary of grades Quality of Care and Support - Statement 1 Statement 3 Quality of Environment - Statement 2 Statement 4 Quality of Staffing - Statement 1 Statement 3 Quality of Management and Leadership - Statement 2 Statement Excellent 6 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 11 Nov 2011 Unannounced Care and support Environment Not Assessed Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed 22 Dec 2010 Unannounced Care and support Environment Not Assessed Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership 16 Jul 2010 Announced Care and support Environment Not Assessed Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership Oakwood, page 24 of 26

25 8 Oct 2009 Unannounced Care and support Environment Not Assessed Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed 12 Jun 2009 Announced Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 16 Jan 2009 Unannounced Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 Nov 2008 Announced Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former regulator of care services, the Care Commission. Oakwood, page 25 of 26

26 To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning us on This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can get more copies of this report and others by downloading it from our website: or by telephoning Translations and alternative formats This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request. Telephone: enquiries@careinspectorate.com Web: Oakwood, page 26 of 26