Oak Manor

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection, 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.

People and their relatives spoke positively about their/ their family members support and the kind and caring nature of the staff team. Staff spoke about people knowledgably and with kindness and compassion. We observed staff speaking with people kindly and in line with the way they wanted to be communicated with. Staff respected people’s dignity and personal space. They always made sure people were happy with what was happening and how they were being supported. People’s comments included, ‘‘Staff deserve a medal. There is no other place like this. It is very special.’’ and ‘‘I am very happy here. I have everything I need and the staff make an enormous difference to my life.’’ People showed us how happy they were in the way they reacted to staff speaking with them. For example, one staff member mad e a joke which they knew a person liked when supporting them to eat and the person and staff member laughed together. Another staff member showed real kindness and empathy when a person was upset, using personal touch whilst respecting dignity, to support the person to feel better. Relatives’ comments included, ‘‘[Family member] is safe, warm and well looked after. The staff are very empathetic and try their very best. They are in the best possible place they could be.’’ and ‘‘When I visit [family member] I always leave happy. It’s such a nice place to b. It’s nice to know good things are happening there.’’

The provider always treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. Staff knew people very well as individuals. For example, they explained in detail what people’s likes, dislikes and preferences were. Staff knew what signs a person who could not speak verbally gave to say they liked or enjoyed something. We saw people smiling and showing signs of how important this support was for them. People had been supported to personalise and decorate their rooms, and staff knew what people liked to eat and drink. Staff took every opportunity to sit and speak with people, engaging them in conversation about their individual likes and dislikes. They had an in-depth knowledge of how to support people as individuals when they upset or if they needed extra support. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] know what I like. I always get my favourite drink every mealtime. We have a good chat and a good laugh.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘The staff really make the effort to get to know [family member] as a person.’’ Another relative explained how their family member’s dementia had progressed significantly. However, staff had worked with the person to still make sure they could follow their interests. The relative told us this meant a lot to the person and to them.

Staff promoted people's independence and asked them to make choices in most of the day-to-day areas of their support. For example, staff asked people what they wanted to eat and drink, what they wanted to wear and what time they wanted to be supported with personal care. Staff took their time when they supported people, making sure the person was in control of how they were being supported. For example, people were visually shown what their choices were at mealtimes to help them make choices more easily. Staff were incredibly dedicated to offering choices at mealtimes, asking people specifically how much of each food item they wanted for their meal. Staff promoted people’s independence in ways such as helping them do as much as they could themselves before helping them at time such as walking around the service or eating meals. Measures such as sensor mats and visual writing and electronic equipment were used to help people maintain their independence in relation to communicating and making choices. One person said, ‘‘I like to do things my way. We have choices but if we want to do our own thing then that’s fine.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] was and still is someone who is very up and down and changes their mind all the time. The staff don’t mind and just keep giving them the choices they have made. They never rush [family member] even when they are very particular about how they do things.’’

Staff responded to people's needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern, or distress. Staff told us how they noted changes in people’s support needs and reported this to the management team to make sure care plans and risk assessments were updated. Staff were attentive to people’s needs throughout the day in relation to personal care or making sure they had something to eat and drink. People did not have to wait extended periods of time for call bells to be answered. One person said, ‘‘You never have to wait long at all for staff to come and help you.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘There are no restrictions on visits, and I come at all sorts of times. There are always staff about.’’

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Most staff enjoyed working at the service and felt well supported by the management team. However, some staff told us they did not always feel the management team listened to their concerns, for example around staffing levels at certain times of day. However, we saw evidence the management team had listened and supported this situation in multiple ways. They also showed us how they would continue to do this going forward. Staff had regular discussions and supervisions to discuss their job roles and any support they may need. Regular meeting with staff took place to discuss how well supported they felt and any improvements they felt would benefit the service. Staff were supported to develop and progress in their roles if they chose to do so.