Slough nursing home hits back at 'incomplete' watchdog report after negative rating

A nursing home in Slough has pushed back against a Requires Improvement rating from the care watchdog – saying they believe the report is ‘incomplete’ does not paint the full picture.

Oxford House Nursing Home in Stoke Road, Slough, provides accommodation for up to 34 people who need nursing or personal care.

It offers treatment for disease, disorder or injury, care for the elderly and people under age 65, those with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) sent inspectors there a few months ago and found ‘breaches of regulation’ there.

Inspectors also heard a staff member ‘speaking derogatorily’ to a person in the home.

In its report published on July 21, the service received a Requires Improvement rating overall. This was despite scoring Good on three of five categories.

But the service scored Requires Improvement in terms of safety and its leadership – which took the rating down a grade overall.

Of its most significant findings, the CQC said the home needed improvements to meet the needs of people with dementia.

The CQC also had concerns about the language used by some staff, the absence of risk assessments, and staff understanding covert medicine use (giving someone medicine without their knowledge, usually by hiding it in food or drink).

In particular, the CQC was concerned that the service’s management did not identify these problems itself.

However, the watchdog did accept that staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual support needs. People said they were supported by staff who knew them well.

Overall, they involved people in decisions and made sure they understood matters relating to their care, so they could give informed consent.

Those using the service and their families were also broadly positive – they said they felt safe, and that there were enough staff to support them when they needed help.

A relative said to the CQC: “My loved one is safe, and staff are kind, I visit whenever I want and have not had any complaints or worries.”

Residents said staff cared for them safely, promoted their independence and involved them and their families in decisions about their care.

They also said they were happy with the management of the service and knew who to contact if they had any problems they wanted to raise.

One person described the registered manager as ‘very approachable’.

But in the wake of the report, Oxford House Nursing Home says it is not satisfied with the result. A spokesperson said the service is ‘engaged in ongoing discussions’ with the CQC.

“It has come to light that the final published report does not appear to incorporate all the evidence we submitted through the factual accuracy process,” the spokesperson said.

As a result, they are ‘concerned the inspection report may be incomplete’ and does not reflect the true picture.

Nonetheless, the service is ‘proud of the recognition’ in the three areas the CQC rated as Good.

“The report recognises our high standards in several key domains.

“We were rated ‘Good’ in Responsive, Effective, and Caring, which speaks volumes about the dedication and compassion of our team.

“These are critical areas of care and we are proud of the recognition.”

Replying to the concerns raised, a spokesperson for the CQC said:

“We can confirm the provider of Oxford House Nursing Home has raised concerns about their latest inspection report regarding the factual accuracy process and how evidence they submitted was considered.

“We have systems in place to review this and will inform the provider of the outcome when this concludes.”