The inspection took place on the 22 January 2018 and was unannounced. The service has not previously been inspected.

Oak View is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Oak View is registered to accommodate up to five people. At the time of the inspection there were four people living at the service, however only one person was receiving a regulated activity. The service is situated in a residential area of Warrington and is modelled on a domestic type setting, with bedrooms on the first floor and communal areas on the ground floor.

Oak View has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

There was a manager in post who had been registered with the CQC since December 2016. At the time of the inspection however, the registered manager was not available.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During the inspection we identified breaches of Regulation 12 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was because the registered provider had failed to ensure that water temperatures were within safe limits to prevent people from scalding themselves. The registered provider had also failed to carry out routine checks to ensure the water system was free from harmful bacteria. Quality monitoring systems had failed to identify issues that had been picked up by the inspection process which showed they were not fully effective.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

During the inspection we identified that deprivation of liberty safeguards were not always in place as required. We have made a recommendation around this.

During the inspection we identified that processes were not in place with regards to one person’s PRN (‘as required’) medication. We have made a recommendation around this.

Medication stocks were being monitored to ensure the correct quantities were being stored. These were kept securely in a locked room. We observed staff administered medication and found that they did so in a competent and professional manner. This helped ensure people were given their medication in an appropriate manner.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew how to report any concerns they may have. The registered provider had a robust recruitment process in place which helped ensure that staff working at Oak View were of good character.

Where required people had been supported to access their GP or other health professionals to help ensure their wellbeing.

There were sufficient numbers of staff in post to meet people’s needs. We reviewed rotas which showed that there were consistent members of staff in post within the service.

Training was in place to ensure staff had the skills and knowledge they needed to carry out their role effectively. Some staff were also in the process of achieving further qualifications, which helped them to develop professionally.

People were treated with dignity and respect. People and staff had developed a good rapport which was evident in their interactions with each other. Staff had a good knowledge of the people they supported and their individual needs.

Staff had access to detailed and up-t