Oat Hill Mews

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 that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. 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.

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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and relatives told us staff were caring, and we observed staff to be polite, friendly and welcoming. Staff were kind and very willing to talk with inspectors and help as needed. People responded positively to staff approach and the atmosphere within the home supported wellbeing. One person told us, “It’s very intimate when they wash you, but they talk to you and make me feel like I can trust them.”

One relative told us, “It is a happy place for the elderly, and they have some dignity and respect, and I would say that is my experience of the dementia floor.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

One person told us, “[Staff] know I like custard, and they always bring me the desert overflowing with custard because they know I like it – I don’t have to ask.” Another person explained, “They always celebrate your birthday, its nice [staff] remember it’s your birthday and they make you a cake.”

People were supported in ways which reflected their individual needs and preferences, and care plans generally contained good detail. We saw examples of personalised approaches which supported independence and choice. However, improvement was required to ensure care records consistently reflected people’s religious needs. Leaders told us this was being delivered on a practical level, and 1 person said they had the chaplains come to the home, but records did not reflect this consistently. This meant staff could not always rely on written guidance to ensure religious preferences and needs were supported in a consistently person-centred way.

A relative explained, “They have a wishing tree, and they listen to these things and the staff try and help them do that, [family member] did some gardening and staff are encouraging. There was a singer. They keep [family member] busy.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff supported people’s independence and promoted choice. Relatives told us people were not rushed and staff had the time to provide care in a considerate way. The environment and amenities supported people to engage in daily life and maintain routines and preferences.

We saw examples of thoughtful, person-centred adjustments, such as large letters on a person’s radio to support them to easily select their preferred channel.

One relative said, “I would say that the atmosphere and aesthetics and everything is amazing, the coffee shop is lovely and [family member] loves it. The staff are very attentive, and they are very communicative to me, like the activities are on. [Family member] is encouraged to go out in the garden, and they have choices that they like. The family really appreciate the communication which the home give to me.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People’s immediate needs were met, and no one raised concerns about having to wait a long time for staff support when it was required.

The registered manager had also been unable to access the call bell data, which meant they could not complete checks on staff response times to ensure people were not waiting for a prolonged period of time for help and support. They advised this was in the process of being rectified.

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 supported and valued. Staff described regular supervision and strong support from team leaders. They said leaders managed democratically, encouraged suggestions, and shared a belief in delivering excellent person-centred care which aligned with staff values. Staff also highlighted ideas for service enrichment, such as enhanced activity resources, which showed engagement and a willingness to improve experiences for people living at the service.

A staff member advised colleagues could receive “gifts and awards” from the company as a reward for their hard work.

A leader explained, “We have the Employee Assistance Programmes with direct phone number and the Wisdom App. On the app there is also webinars, podcasts and chat functions if someone does not wish to actually speak on the phone. We also have mental health first aiders, I am the Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) here, but I can always call on another MHFA from another home if I need support.”