Oakdene Nursing 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

We were not assured people’s experience of the service was driven by a culture that normalises good wellbeing through inclusivity, active listening, and open conversations, which enables staff to do their job well and to be well. Staff told us there was a large turnover of management team and this affected their wellbeing leading to low staff morale. Staff did not always feel supported by managers and the organisation. However, people were cared for by kind, considerate and polite staff. Staff spoke about people in a positive way. They knew them well and were able to tell us about people's preferences and how to care for them. People were able to make choices and felt staff supported their independence. Staff explained they had undertaken training to understand the importance of dignity and respect. We did not assess all the quality statements within this key question. We did not identify concerns relating to these areas which we judged as being met at our last inspection.

This service scored 62 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People told most staff were kind, caring and compassionate. One relative told us: “The staff are particularly kind and caring which is why I am happy [my loved one] resides at Oakdene. Birthdays are celebrated without prompting, a lovely cake was made for [them] this year. Staff never walk past residents without asking if they are ok or making a comment about how nice they look. They are all treated as individuals which is how it should be!” Others commented: “Staff are very kind and caring. [My relative] went to visit [their loved one] and [they] were in bed. Staff went to sit with [my relative] to reassure [them] as to why [their loved one] was in bed that day and they were very kind and caring towards [them]” and “Definitely, most of [staff] are very friendly and approachable. They are there for [my loved one] if they are able to; they speak gently and kindly to the residents.”

Staff told us there was a culture of kindness, compassion and respect and felt proud of working alongside their fellow carers colleagues delivering care to people. Comments included: “I think the majority of staff of the care team are absolutely brilliant, very kind and genuinely caring. Our activities team are brilliant as well with trips and events that get planned”, “Absolutely yes! 100% proud! I’m so proud to put a smile on residents faces and change their lives. I’m proud to have the chance to get to know them and give them the best care I can offer and to make a difference. It’s a great feeling at the end of a very tiring day, knowing I made people smile and feel loved and gave them the best care they deserve. I’m so proud being part of the team where I can show what I got and what I can to change people’s lives” and “I see the carers caring, activities going above and beyond, getting alongside residents, cleaners going into rooms chatting, loving, caring, the chefs being so proud of excellence in food, receptionists being the front of house "yes" people (then coming to the teams to try and make it happen!) Admin doesn't hide in the office, there's a caring heart for every resident.”

One professional told us: “The carers I observed having direct patient contact were caring and kind using communication style to reassure the patient who had poor vision and was in an unfamiliar environment. The patient expressed nothing that led me to believe she wasn’t receiving a good service.”

We observed staff treated people with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. Staff were attentive and communicated with people appropriately, in a way they could understand. We observed staff responded to people’s needs quickly and efficiently, especially if they are in pain, discomfort, or distress. We observed staff member approaching 1 person in an agitated state in a person-centred way, whispering and talking in a low level to reduce agitation. Staff member placed arm around person’s shoulder and directed them from the communal area.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

One person told us: “I feel I always have a choice. With food I can have cooked breakfast if I want to, with going to hairdressers or entertainment.” Relatives told us: “[My loved one] has a very good relationship with staff. They take their time with [them] do not rush which is appreciated by [them]. I have never seen [my loved one] dismiss or refuse one of the carers.” Another relative commented: “Staff understand [my loved one]. If [they] want a lie-in there is no pressure to be up and dressed. Staff know the best way to assist in [their] care in a manner [they] are comfortable with and with respect. They know how [they] like her hair to be cut/styled and which are [their] favourite clothes. They know how [my loved one] likes coffee and which cakes are [their] favourites. The home is aware of [my loved one’s] past and requested information [their family] to enable this.”

Staff told us: “Residents are free to make their choices and they have access also with the community outings and activities. We believe that our care doesn’t revolve only around the four corners of the home” and “I feel that the residents at Oakdene are well looked after and encouraged to live as independently as they wish or are able to be. There is always something going on for them to get involved with and they go on outings. Those that want to are regularly taken to church on a Sunday” and “Residents are always given options and choices relating to their care and community access.”

We observed staff supported people to make informed choices. Staff knew people well, anticipated people's needs and responded to requests. They supported people to be independent where they were able and monitored them to make sure they were safe. We observed people participated in a range of activities which they enjoyed.

Staff described a range of meaningful activities they provided which offered people choice and were designed to entertain, engage, and stimulate people. The provider employed well-being coordinators who oversaw the planning of these. The provider made improvements to the environment to enhance people’s independence and well-being, learn new skills and provide activities. People's care plans included information about how they would like to be independent and what they could do themselves. People had opportunities to discuss their interests and hobbies. This information was used to help plan social events and activities.

Relatives told us: “I have witnessed [my loved one] being given lunch when I called in unannounced as I was passing by. I was pleased to see how [my loved one] was told what [they] were being given, how [they] were not being hurried and there was pleasant conversation”, “[Our loved one’s] bed was soiled when we visited, and we asked for a change of bed clothes and within ten minutes the carer came. We offered to make the bed, but [they] insisted [they] would do it and it was done immediately; they are very caring and lovely people and they are really kind to [our loved one]” and “[My loved one] kept falling out of bed and they have made [their] bed lower. [My loved one] kept putting [their] hands out and they felt it was dangerous. They have ordered wedges to go down the side of the bed and then [my loved one] can’t put [their] hand down the side and scratch them. They have also put one side of the bed up against the wall.”

Staff told us they didn’t always have enough time and resources to respond promptly to people’s immediate needs: “I prepared supper for everyone, the residents called their bells, the families asked for personal care. It was a chaos and I felt ashamed. [Relative] of a resident requested urgent attention, so I left the trolley with the meal for everybody, and I supported [their loved one] with toileting”, “I think that there is insufficient staff. This causes much stress and strain on the carers, and I can see that sometimes residents are left to wait longer than they should be to get certain needs met”, and “I am not trained or authorised to help with residents that need assistance standing/sitting/going to the bathroom and it does make me feel bad when I am walking through the building and a resident asks me for assistance - all I can do is press the call bell and stay with them, chatting, until a carer arrives, which does take a while sometimes.”

We observed staff interacting with people in a person-centred way, knowing them as individuals, taking their wishes into account and respecting their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. We observed 1 person eating cornflakes using knife and fork. This was noticed by a staff member who encouraged person to use the spoon. When person refused and carried on with a fork, staff used gentle hand over hand support to swap fork for a spoon, to which person responded: "Ah that's better!”

Staff told us there was a large turnover of management team and this affected their wellbeing leading to low staff morale. Comments included: “Many good members of staff have left, walked out or gone home crying, because of [manager’s name] approach. This is causing members of staff to be extremely stressed, strained and unhappy, myself included. As a consequence, when [manager’s name] is around, we do not work together or support each other well. I have found that when staff members are stressed and unhappy, that the residents notice and this effects their lives”, “The way [manager’s name] treats me here in Oakdene affected my mental state. Every time I hear [their] name or every time, I know that [manager’s name] is around, I panic. I felt traumatised” and “Staff members tend to hide when [management] are here because they make everyone in all departments very uncomfortable and nervous. This should be a safe working environment, but it doesn’t feel like that when they are here. I suffered really bad with my mental health due to being picked on by [them] last year.”

We were not assured the provider actively promoted the well-being of staff, supported and enabled them to deliver person centred care. Systems the provider had in place to gather staff feedback and support their well-being were not effective. They had not identified findings of this inspection. Staff did not feel safe to disclose the information they shared with the inspection team. The staff satisfaction survey completed in February 2024 did not reflect the findings of this inspection. Staff did not always feel confident to raise concerns and did not feel they were being listened to by the regional managers. Some staff were not aware of the provider’s whistle-blowing procedure and were not effectively encouraged to follow it.