Oake Meadows Care 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 – this means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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, compassion and dignity.

People and their relatives consistently described staff as caring, respectful and supportive. One person told us, “The staff are all very nice, always a kind word and they help me.” Another person said, ‘The staff are nice, nothing’s too much trouble. All the staff seem good. They’re wonderful, amazing.” Comments from relatives included, “The staff are lovely and they have been absolutely brilliant the time [name of relative] has been here,” and “The staff are very caring. I can’t praise them enough. They have endless patience.” We saw a message from a relative stating, “[Name of person] was diligently cared for by each and every one of your staff and was treated with respect, dignity and kindness at all times.”

Professionals told us staff were kind and caring. Comments included, “In my view staff appear caring and compassionate and aim to keep an upbeat environment where the person is front and centre of their care” and “I observe many times when I visit the care, time and patience that is shown to each individual.”

We observed warm and respectful interactions throughout the assessment, including staff supporting people at their own pace during meals, offering reassurance when people became anxious and taking time to chat with people. One observation showed staff responding patiently and good humouredly to a person who was anxious and distressed, demonstrating familiarity with their needs. Staff explained how they protected people’s privacy and dignity during personal care and people confirmed staff knocked on doors, closed doors and curtains when providing support. One person told us, “They [staff] knock on the door always, close the door when having personal care.” We received isolated feedback from a person stating they had been encouraged to use continence products while waiting for assistance. We discussed this with the registered manager who looked into the concern and identified it as miscommunication from the staff member.

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.

Throughout our visit we observed people being treated as individuals. People told us they were able to make choices about their day to day lives. Staff knew people well and were able to describe individual risks, preferences and approaches to support. Care records included information about communication needs, daily routines, interests and important relationships, and we saw examples of care being adapted to reflect people’s wishes.

People told us they could maintain routines that mattered to them and relatives said staff had got to know their family members well. One relative told us, “Staff treat everyone as an individual. They have time to comfort the resident. The staff work very hard to make it as good as it can be.” A professional commented, “Staff work in a person centred way treating people as individuals.”

We observed staff offering people choices throughout the day, greeting people by their preferred names and tailoring support to individual needs.

Relatives described how staff adapted care, including changing approaches to personal care, supporting individual dietary needs and responding to personal preferences. People and families were involved in reviews and decisions about care.

People’s life histories, preferences and what was important to them were not consistently recorded in their care plans. This increased the risk that staff did not have all the information needed to provide consistently personalised care.

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

People told us they were able to make decisions about their daily lives, including when to get up, go to bed, spend time with visitors and take part in activities. One person told us, “It’s pleasantly better than I expected. Generally, it has exceeded expectations. I expected a more regimented routine and it’s very much more laid back and customer friendly. There are choices. To be able to say no to something, and they take that seriously.” Another person told us, “I can get up and go to bed when I want.”

Staff gave examples of encouraging people to retain skills and independence wherever possible. We observed people being offered choices about meals, drinks and daily routines. One professional told us, “Staff appear to be caring and use individualised care plans for residents and they [people] are encouraged to make choices.”

Staff described how people were encouraged to regain skills and confidence following hospital stays, with goals developed alongside people to maximise independence. People had access to equipment and adaptations to support mobility and independence, and staff recognised the importance of enabling people to do as much as possible for themselves.

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.

Staff knew people well and told us what could make people anxious. They gave examples of how they supported people in ways that would deescalate any anxiety and distress. During our observations, staff responded appropriately when people required reassurance, pain relief or support. For example, staff promptly supported a person who reported a headache and ensured pain relief was provided, and we observed staff responding patiently to a person who appeared anxious.

One professional told us, “The nursing and care staff are very adept at identifying specific care needs quickly and articulating these clearly. Staff consistently demonstrate initiative in implementing suggestions and adapting recommendations to suit dynamic situations.” Another professional commented, “I have witnessed staff respond quickly to people’s needs and request support if required.”

Most people and relatives told us staff provided help when required and people’s care needs were met. A relative explained staff would “Come back to you straight away” when information or assistance was needed. Another relative commented, “We haven’t had any problems, staff come quickly and respond to most things.” However, some people told us they sometimes waited for assistance with toileting or call bells, particularly at busier times of the day.

Feedback from the assessment identified some concerns relating to people having meaningful engagement and stimulation. Despite this, our observations generally showed staff recognised when people needed help and acted to provide support and reassurance.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and enabled staff to carry out their roles effectively.

Staff told us they felt supported by managers and colleagues and described the service as a positive place to work. Managers made adjustments to support staff wellbeing where needed and staff described feeling listened to and valued. Staff we spoke with consistently described a supportive culture, felt able to raise concerns and were confident action would be taken. One staff member told us, “[Name of registered manager] is really approachable and supportive, they support you to progress.”

The provider supported workforce wellbeing through a range of local and organisation wide recognition initiatives. Registered managers had autonomy to tailor activities to their teams, including staff meals and ‘thank you’ days, while all colleagues received a Christmas shopping voucher. A ‘colleague of the month’ scheme enabled staff to nominate peers, with winners receiving a certificate and voucher and being entered into further national and annual prize draws, where rewards included vouchers, flowers and additional leave. One staff member told us, “They look after our wellbeing, we get breaks and at Christmas we get a voucher.”