Oakwood Court

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence. At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

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 service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. Preadmission assessments provided an overview of people’s needs including their health conditions, wishes, religious and spiritual preferences and lifestyle choices. A relative told us about their loved one’s experience when they moved in and said, “When [person] moved in their name was on the bedroom door with a welcome banner. We can do what we want to personalise the room too, with some small furniture items.”

The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. For example, catering staff were aware of any weight loss or dietary requirements and adjusted people’s diet accordingly. The catering manager had attended a conference where they learned how different coloured crockery and cutlery could stimulate the appetite of people living with dementia. Staff told us how this and the involvement of people when menu planning and had resulted in a reduction in food waste and an increase of people’s weight.

The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services. A healthcare professional told us, “I have got to know the staff at Oakwood Court well and have a good working relationship with them. They respond in a timely and appropriate manner to medical concerns and to medical instructions.” A staff member gave examples of partnership working and told us, “Our main aim was to get [person] back to how she was. Now she is back with us and walking with a zimmer independently. With daily exercises from physio and getting her to mobilise and be free from pain, we managed her pain levels really well with GP help she is getting back to how she is. We think her environment helps her feel a bit safer, she's much better and happier.”

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. People were supported to live healthier lives and had access to healthcare agencies, including opticians and dentists. Where people found it difficult to attend appointments, the management team had arranged for visiting chiropodists, opticians and dental professionals to come into the service. A relative told us, “I got an email the chiropodist was round a couple of weeks ago, they checked me and [person] were happy with this. I knew [person] had new glasses, they had the opticians round too.” We observed posters in the service to educate people about maintaining healthy lives and well-being. People were encouraged to attend gentle chair based exercises and activity sessions to help with their mobility and dexterity.

The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. Outcomes of people’s health and well-being were monitored, reviewed, and care records were updated to reflect people’s changing needs. A staff member spoke about their training and said, “I feel confident, especially identifying and managing pain for residents with dementia. Some of them come to us and they say they have difficulties with the toilet, recently we have learned they might have discomfort for other reasons, we can identify root causes of the pain (and escalate to medical professionals). This has helped the residents.”

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. We observed people were consistently asked for consent from staff and were provided with choices. Staff gave examples of how they gained consent from people whilst ensuring they understood their rights. A staff member told us, “Before the residents come into the home, there are loads of consent forms we go through for different reasons. On a day to day basis, we verbally ask, everyone has a right to refuse, we constantly ask questions and constantly give options but respect their wishes if they decline.”