Oake Meadows Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 71 (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 did not always make sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices. Observations of meaningful engagement were mixed. In 1 area, people had limited planned activity, meaningful occupation, social interaction or personalised engagement and appeared disengaged. Records did not always show people had opportunities for meaningful activity and stimulation, and some ‘This is Me’ and life history information was incomplete or missing.

People and relatives gave mixed feedback. One person told us, “There’s a record of weekly activities, but I have to ask for it each time. I do sit in my room by choice. There’s no intellectual stimulation.” A relative told us, “I think they need to do a bit more during the day at times, especially when I can’t be there.” Another said, “I feel they could do with more activities.” Other relatives said, “[Name of person] goes to activities. Yesterday they went to the singing afternoon, they enjoy karaoke and bingo” and “They do activities. They take [name of person] out if they have a party and they do bingo and singing and [name of person] seems to enjoy that.”

Two professionals identified activities as an area for improvement. One told us, “The range of activities available appears inconsistent.” Another said, “There should be a bit more to do.” Other professionals were positive, commenting, “Whatever time of day I visit the staff appear to be engaged in some sort of activities with residents” and “There are a wide range of activities available, if they choose to join in.”

We discussed activities and meaningful engagement with the provider. They told us they were reviewing how staff engaged with people and recorded meaningful interactions, with work underway across the organisation to improve consistency.

Professionals told us staff were person centred in their approach. Comments from professionals included, “All staff are very person centred with regard to the residents” and “Staff always have a person centred approach to our clients.”

We observed people enjoying live entertainment, bingo and time outdoors, and received positive feedback about planned entertainment. People had choice about their daily routines. Relatives gave us examples of person centred support. One relative told us, “It’s their attention to detail. [Name of person] was on a liquid diet and when it was their birthday the cake was liquidised for them.”

The registered manager provided examples of people accessing activities and community outings that were important to them and maintaining social and spiritual connections.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

People had access to a range of health and social care professionals, including GPs, therapists, social workers and specialist services. Staff worked closely with external professionals to support people's health, wellbeing and rehabilitation needs. Health and social care professionals spoke positively about partnership working and communication with the service.

Relatives told us they were kept informed when people's needs changed and when healthcare professionals had been involved. One relative said, “They ask everything, they are really good I can't fault them.” Another relative told us, “They always let me know [any updates].”

Care plans, daily flash meetings (meetings with all departments) and handovers supported continuity of care and staff told us communication within teams was effective.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

People’s care plans contained information about people’s individual communication needs. Staff knew people well and understood the importance of communicating with people in a person centred way to ensure people’s needs were met.

Staff told us communication throughout the team was good. Relevant information was shared within the staff team through various meetings and handovers. One staff member said, “Communication is ok we know what we need to do. The nurse is helpful and I can ask any questions or report any concerns. I attend handover, communication is good, it’s a good team here.” One professional told us, “Staff actively find ways to communicate with people.”

People and relatives told us they received information about care, treatment and changes to support arrangements. Relatives described good communication and said staff kept them informed about appointments, health concerns and changes in wellbeing. One relative told us, “From what I have seen they seem transparent and clear with their communication.”

Information about activities and events was available within the service and relatives reported receiving newsletters, emails and updates. Some people and relatives felt more accessible copies of activity schedules and menus would be helpful. We discussed this with the registered manager who told us they would look into this.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

The provider listened to people and involved them, and those important to them, in decisions about their care and support. People and relatives told us they felt able to raise concerns, share feedback and discuss care needs with staff and managers. Relatives described managers as approachable and said issues raised were acted upon.

Residents and relatives’ meetings were held to gain people’s views and give them an opportunity to raise any ideas or concerns. One relative told us, “We have a relatives meeting which is quite useful, you can air your grievances, talk to other relatives. I’ve only been to one, but I think things change after.” Another relative commented, “I think they had had difficulty with the laundry, but that’s greatly improved and that was mentioned at a relatives’ meeting, and it has improved. Improvements are swiftly made when they are mentioned.”

The provider sent out annual surveys to people and relatives to gain their feedback. A survey had recently been completed and the registered manager was in the process of collating the feedback. An action plan was completed in response to feedback received.

The provider had systems in place to capture feedback, concerns and complaints through a digital reception. The quality assurance director told us any negative feedback was automatically escalated to the registered manager and relevant operational leaders for review and follow up. Quality managers contacted people where concerns were identified to understand issues, provide reassurance and support learning. Unresolved concerns were monitored centrally and escalated to the formal complaints process where appropriate.

The provider had a complaints policy in place; where formal complaints were raised these were investigated in line with the providers complaints procedure.

The service ensured people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

People had access to healthcare professionals, specialist services and rehabilitation support when required. Assessments were undertaken before people moved into the service to help ensure their needs could be met.

Staff worked with people who had a wide range of physical, cognitive and communication needs. Information about dietary requirements, allergies, communication needs and specialist equipment was available to staff to support equitable access to care and treatment.

People requiring specialist support, such as modified diets, rehabilitation services, continence support or dementia care, received care tailored to those needs. Staff demonstrated an awareness of individual risks and support requirements.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff supported people to access services in line with their individual needs. Staff had received training in equality and diversity which helped them to recognise and address any discrimination people may face.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future.

People's care plans included information about future wishes, end of life preferences and advance planning where this had been discussed. We saw examples of care plans containing information about funeral arrangements, treatment escalation plans and people's preferred outcomes. Relatives told us they were involved in discussions about ongoing care, treatment and discharge planning when appropriate.

The registered manager provided evidence that people received compassionate, person centred end of life support. Staff took time to understand people’s wishes, life histories, spiritual beliefs and preferences, enabling them to provide personalised emotional support, advocacy and companionship. This included supporting residents with limited family involvement, facilitating important religious wishes, and ensuring people were treated with dignity and respect at the end of their lives. We reviewed a comment 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. We, as a family, were cared for and given space to be with [name of person]. Oake Meadows offered us all a refuge and, for [name of person], a calm and caring last resting place.”