St Oswalds

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first assessment for St Oswalds Care Home. This key question has been rated good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity and they appeared to know their personalities and likes and dislikes well. A person told us, “The staff are very friendly here, nothing is too much to ask.” A relative commented, “I go there anytime, the staff are so kind and helpful, and I can’t believe we found such a wonderful place and [Name] is so happy here, it came well recommended.”

Staff knew people’s likes and dislikes well and used this knowledge to build relationships with them and treat people as individuals. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. One staff member said, “I enjoy working here. We are all like a big family. We treat people as individuals, we know what they like and don’t.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Independence and autonomy were encouraged. However, care records did not always clearly show how independence would be supported. Although care plans were detailed, some needed more specific detail on what staff should help with and what the person could do themselves to maintain their independence. People’s feedback included, “Not enough going on, most people have dementia so activities are catered to them. I pay a carer to take me out once a fortnight.” And “[Staff] do their best to make me feel settled and encourage independence. Staff are amazing, they keep me going.”

The provider did not always listen to or fully understand people’s needs, views, and wishes. Staff did not consistently respond to people’s needs in the moment or take action to reduce discomfort, concern, or distress. Care plans lacked clear guidance to support staff in managing people’s conditions. Some care plans needed more detailed, person-specific information on how best to provide support and what signs to look out for, rather than generic descriptions of conditions.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt valued and supported by the management team. They all commented they were encouraged to voice their opinions, ideas and suggestions. Their comments included, “We can speak up if we have any concerns, we are well cared for and looked after here.” Management were visible and we observed positive interactions between management and staff.