Enter and view at Four Oaks care home

Four Oaks care home provides nursing and residential care for up to 62 residents. At the time of the visit there were 62 residents living in the home. 

We were informed that the home has 60% of their residents living with dementia. 

Recommendations

Recommendation: Review weekend staff procedures to ensure there is a more visible staff presence for relatives visiting the home over the weekend period. 

Manager’s response:

"New staff allocation/deployment forms have been introduced to improve visibility of staff especially in communal areas. The Home Manager and Clinical Lead work alternative weekends, ensuring that there is a weekend presence of Management."

Recommendation: To review the consistency of care being delivered by the different care teams on duty at the home. [please see relatives’ comments page 11 of this report]

Manager’s response:

"The use of agency care assistants no longer takes place following the Home Manager’s arrival and subsequent recruitment drive. The benefits are that we now only have staff whom the residents and relatives can build a relationship and trust with. Sill mix and experience are also considered when creating rotas."

Recommendation: To consider how best to ensure that care staff are fully aware of a resident’s needs and preferences in an individual’s care plan 

Manager’s response:

"All care staff has access to the resident’s care plans via our hand-held iPod devices. Predominantly we now have settled core within each teams for each unit. Care plans are reviewed monthly with input from the care team, residents and relatives alike. The benefits for this are that staff can one again get to know the needs and wishes of the residents ensuring the we provide Person Centred Care."

Recommendation: Consider how to ensure that residents and relatives’ request are actioned.

Manager's response:

"The Home Manager holds monthly residents’ and relatives’ meetings. Following the meetings, a ‘You Said, we did’ poster will be displayed, evidencing that requests have been actioned. The Home Manager also makes himself available with a drop-in or appointments style surgery every Friday afternoon for residents and relatives to access for any personal requests the may have. The Home Manager also has an opendoor policy and makes himself available with the distribution of business cards with his contact details on. Therefore, anyone can have access to the Home Manager 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Recommendation: To review the current staff ratio supporting residents at mealtimes.

Manager's response:

The Home Manager completes mealtime experience audits which focus on staff deployment, quality of food and the overall experience of dining. The observations and general feedback is that the dining experience is pleasant and enjoyable. Staffing levels are also constantly reviewed and the Home Manager feels that staffing levels are more than sufficient to continue to provide a quality dining experience for residents. Staff deployment and role allocations have improved the efficiency of the teams.

Recommendation: To review current weekly activities at the home including weekend activities and to continue to develop and improve, so that there are appropriate activities for all residents, given their differing levels of ability and understanding.

Manager's response:

"Four Oaks now employs two full-time Activity Coordinators. The Feedback the Home Manager has received since the additional Coordinator has joined us has been very positive. They have brought a welfare of knowledge and experience with lots of new and creative ideas with them from a previous similar role. Their enthusiasm is infectious. Individual and group activities has improved significantly since their arrival, ensuring all abilities and interest are catered for."

Recommendation: Review the laundry system to ensure that clothes are returned to their rightful owner as not all clothes had name tapes, or names had been washed out.

Manager's response:

"Four Oaks has a dedicated member of staff who works in our launderette. We advise new and existing residents and relatives about the importance of keeping their clothes labelled at all times. Any unlabelled garments are stored and kept safe until their rightful owner can be found. Laundry supervisor will remark clothes as and is needed."