A COUNCIL-run home care in Basingstoke has been told it must improve.

Oakridge House Care Home with Nursing, which is run by Hampshire County Council (HCC), was graded as ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in a report published earlier this month about an unannounced inspection over three days at the end of May.

The home, in Jefferson Road, was ranked as ‘requires improvement’ in the safe, effective, responsive and well-lead categories with ‘good’ only given in the caring category.

The report outlines that people using the service were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives with it noted that while staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible, the home’s systems did not support this practice.

It was also noted people using the service were not always provided with the chance to take part in activities and quality assurance processes in place were not always effective.

The report also added: “People were not always supported to eat and drink safely whilst maintaining their dignity and independence.”

Inspectors found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014 during their visit.

However, during the inspection, it was noted people who used the service told inspectors they felt safe and they felt their care was being delivered by kind and caring staff.

The report adds: “We saw that people had friendly and relaxed relationships with staff who would stop and speak with them when moving around the home.

“People’s health needs were met as the staff and registered manager promptly engaged with other healthcare agencies and professionals to ensure people’s identified health care needs were met and to maintain people’s safety and welfare.”

“People and staff told us the registered manager provided positive leadership and fulfilled a number of the requirements associated with their role as a registered manager.”

Oakridge House provides nursing and residential care for up to 91 people who have a range of needs, including those living with dementia, epilepsy and diabetes and those receiving end of life care.

At the time of the inspection, 87 people were living at Oakridge House.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “Our County Council care home teams work very hard to create safe and caring environments for residents, and therefore, we were extremely disappointed that the CQC identified shortcomings with some aspects of the service at Oakridge House.

"Following the inspection, we took immediate steps to address the issues found, and continue to work hard to ensure the highest standards are in place. While the inspection identified some areas for improvement which have been rectified, we were pleased that the CQC also found that residents and their families commented that the service provided at Oakridge was ‘caring’, and that relatives and friends said they felt their loved ones were ‘cared for safely’.”