Silver Oaks Residential 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 provider 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, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. People told us, “The staff here are kind and caring” and “I am looked after very well. I feel safe with all the staff.” Relatives told us, “The staff are respectful and caring” and “The staff treat [Name] so nicely; as if they are their own parent.” We observed staff knocked on doors to people’s rooms before entering and spoke in a polite and friendly manner with people. We saw staff smiled and gave assurances to people, facing them when speaking and getting down to their level to aid understanding. During our visit, people appeared well presented and dignified. However, some relatives felt their family members needed a more structured, encouraging approach to support them to maintain their personal hygiene.

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 told us they felt treated as an individual, and felt staff took time to help them settle and understand their personal preferences when they were first admitted to the service. Relatives told us, “The staff are really good and very kind. [Name] is not treated as a number, but as an individual and that matters” and "I would say confidently that staff have a good understanding of [Name] and their needs.” Care plans provided information to support personalised care, for example details of key life events and personal history, abilities and likes and dislikes.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People’s wellbeing was valued and staff encouraged people to maintain their current levels of independence and not decline in their abilities to manage daily activities. People told us staff supported them to be independent and respected their choices. Comments included, “The staff appreciate I can look after myself in terms of personal care; they help me with what I can’t do” and “I have a frame for walking around and look after myself. There is a call bell on the wall if I need staff.” We observed kind interactions where staff took their time to promote people's independence, choice and control. For example, supporting people to mobilise independently under supervision and consulting with people as to where they wanted to spend their time.

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. A relative told us, “Staff anticipate [Name’s] needs; they are proactive rather than reactive.” Staff told us they felt they knew people well and were confident they could recognise if people were becoming unwell or upset. We saw staff were attentive to people during our site visit. Staff identified when people were becoming anxious and intervened to provide them with reassurance and distraction where necessary.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The provider had introduced a range of support systems for staff including the introduction of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This provided staff with access to confidential, professional support for mental health and wellbeing, was implemented in response to staff feedback and formed part of a wider commitment to supporting staff resilience. Additionally, staff were able to access a dedicated well-being and mental health champion and structure peer support. Staff had opportunity to give feedback and the registered manager responded to staff when they contributed ideas or made requests. A staff member told us, “We have had our moments when staffing has been tight, but our feedback was listened to and things are better now.” A second staff member said, “We have enough breaks built in when we are on longer shifts. Some days it can be busy but other days it can be relaxed and we have more time. The registered manager has a mix of shifts to suit staff lifestyle and preferences.” The provider invested in staff to ensure staff across the home had access to everything they needed to develop in their role and meet people’s needs.