Oaklands

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The registered manager and staff shared a common understanding of what good care looked like, and how they should work together to achieve it, and ensured good outcomes for people. Induction, training, learning and reflection all ensured staff were reminded of their core purpose and supported to continue achieving it. Staff believed in the positive impact they could have in people’s lives. The registered manager told us, “Staff are good at raising concerns, we involve everyone in running the home. We get to know everyone really well.” People, their representatives and external professionals felt the service was well-led, with the registered manager being visible and accountable. Policies and procedures had regard to equality and human rights, equity of care experiences, diversity and inclusion and the needs of people.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.
Staff spoke highly of the management team. One member of staff told us, “They give you confidence, they talk you through things, so you know what to do.” The registered manager added, “We have an open-door policy, whatever is bothering you, come and talk to us and staff always do. We work on the floor to support them. We make people feel like they are at home. We are flexible and give person centred care.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The service had policies and procedures that supported staff in speaking up. Policies included safeguarding and whistleblowing. The registered manager told us the service actively supported staff to speak up with any concerns. Staff confirmed this. One member of staff told us, “I’d have no problem raising a safeguarding or anything that worried me.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The registered manager and all the staff we spoke with told us the service was inclusive and they were treated with respect. Policies and procedures supported diversity and inclusion within the service.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Quality assurance processes were in place, which gave an effective overview of quality of the service and identified any shortfalls. The results of these audits were used to drive improvement and sustain quality of care.
 

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The service had a good relationship with external professionals. Staff said health professionals visited the service regularly and would carry out reviews and training when needed. One health professional told us, “In my view, Oaklands is well run. The nurses are very professional, and both the manager and deputy manager are visibly involved in patient care. Their leadership appears confident and competent, which contributes positively to the overall service." People were supported to access the local community, and they received regular visits and correspondence from local churches, schools and charities.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and learning so they could provide the most appropriate care for people using up to date best practice guidelines. One health professional told us, “They are learning to contact us to request any support. We are developing a good partnership-working regime with the Oaklands staff additionally through more person-centred activity plans centred on dementia and individualised care. We also link in with their activity workers in developing good networking around evidence-based practice around more individualised activity care plans. We do not have any concern of the management structures currently in place at Oaklands nursing home and the current management team share an open dialogue with our ongoing partnership working. Their staff are always willing to learn with common mental health issues with their elderly residents and improving their practice with a more deep based knowledge." The registered manager added, “Training is always available and we regularly have specialist training from external professionals.”