Oldham House

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 provider met people’s needs. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Care plans were person-centred and described people’s support needs and preferences. This information ensured staff knew people as individuals and provided care which was specific to them. Observations during our assessment showed care provided was person- centred and in line with people’s choices and preferences. When asked what person-centred meant to them, one staff member told us, “Every resident is different. We have to treat people as individuals. We can’t give the same care to everyone. We have to change how it’s done to suit each individual.”

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.

Staff understood the importance of working closely with a range of healthcare professionals to ensure care was joined up. This included access to doctors, speech and language therapists and dieticians. Information in care records showed advice from health professionals was followed.

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

People had communication care plans which explained any difficulties they had with their hearing or speech and how best to communicate with them. This ensured staff understood people’s communication needs and provided information in a way they could understand. For example, staff wrote on a white board to communicate with a person who was hard of hearing.

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

People and relatives told us they knew how to raise any concerns and were confident action would be taken to resolve their issue.One relative told us, "I can talk to the [registered] manager any time that I want to and she does try to resolve any issues that I have. [Person] was in a different room at first and it was very dark, but she got [person] moved without hesitancy when I asked."

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The service was accessible to all, with adaptations in place, such as handrails, specialised equipment such as hoists and accessible bathrooms. Some attempts had been made to make the service dementia friendly, however further work would be beneficial. Pictorial signage was used on communal doors, such as bathrooms and toilets, to aid accessibility and help people locate them. Bedroom doors were painted different colours. The registered manager had plans to improve the ‘memory boxes’ outside people’s bedrooms to ensure they contained information and images personal to the person. This would help them identify their bedroom as well as provide topics for staff to use when engaging in conversations with people.

However, the large open-plan lounge/dining area was noisy with lots going on and no quiet area. Noise can be a trigger for people with dementia.

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.

No one reported any concerns about discrimination. The provider complied with equality and human rights requirements, including avoiding discrimination, having regard to the needs of people with different protected characteristics and making reasonable adjustments to support equality in the workplace. Staff undertook training in equality and diversity and there was a diverse workforce.

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

Where it was appropriate, people’s end of life wishes were discussed with them or their family members. All staff had completed on-line training in end of life care and nurses were trained and competent in administering end of life medicines when these were required