Mile Oak Rest Home

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

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 80 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.
We observed individual staff showing kindness and we saw them engaged in conversations with people in a relaxed and natural manner.
People and relatives were exceedingly complimentary about staff. One person said, “The staff are not just friendly, it’s more than that - they care, they really do” and “I've had more hugs here than I have had in the last 10 years”.
Comments from relatives included, “[Loved one] tells me often that the staff are very jolly and attentive towards them”, “You only need to see how happy [loved one] and all the other residents are there and how attentive and caring the staff are with nothing being too much trouble, the staff are always willing to help and always speak to the residents in a proper and professional manner” and “The staff are amazing and very patient”.
One professional told us, “Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of the individual needs of residents. They are attentive and provide appropriate support during treatments, ensuring residents are comfortable and their specific requirements are met”.
 

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.

People’s care plans incorporated detailed information about their interests and things which were important to them. This included finer details such as their favourite television programmes, religious beliefs and how they liked to spend their day. Each section of care plans included people’s goals and desired outcome.
People were encouraged to get involved and provide feedback on which activities they would like to do and improvements they would like to see at the service. One relative told us, “The management are very caring and are working hard on updating the home and working with the residents to ensure activities are resident based. They involve them in decisions”. One person told us, “We play games, [staff member] is coming back to do activities. They have lots of ideas which they have shared with us”.    
 

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

Staff ensured people’s independence and choice were promoted. Care plans included information about how to support people in a way that reflected their choices and promoted independence where possible. One relative told us, “[Person] is given choices in what meals they would like the following day and can choose others when at the table”. Another relative said, “My [loved one] is quite independent and they step back to let [loved one] be as independent as they can be”.

One staff member told us, “Residents are encouraged to participate in activities but sometimes they are happy to be in their own rooms, but they are always asked”.     
People were supported to maintain and develop their relationships with those close to them, their social networks and community. Visitors were encouraged in the service, and the provider did not restrict visits to specific times.
 

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.

There was a friendly and calm atmosphere in the home, and we observed some positive interactions between people and staff and lots of chatting, smiling and laughter.
Staff told us they were able to recognise when people needed help with physical or mental health concerns, and they contacted health and social care professionals when required. The electronic care planning system was used to record all communication with health and social care professionals. This meant all information was kept centrally and was accessible to staff.
 

A professional told us, “I was informed a resident was a frequent faller, I measured their blood pressure and subsequently reduced their blood pressure medication. It was slightly nerve racking as the resident was an ex-nurse, but they did approve of my technique”.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from staff about support they had from the management. Staff reported they felt valued and were treated in a manner that supported their wellbeing.
Comments from staff included, “The staff here that I work with are all lovely, supportive, caring and couldn’t ask for a better team to work with!”, “I feel supported and I can gain qualifications and go higher in my role of work. Mile oak is such a lovely place to work”, “The Manager and Deputy Managers are very approachable and supportive” and “The management team are approachable and supportive, and they are open to feedback from staff. They make efforts to address concerns and provide guidance when needed. Good communication and willingness to listen are key strengths”.