The Oaks

What families say

People who've spent time at The Oaks talk about the friendly atmosphere created by staff. There's a programme of activities to help residents stay engaged, and the team seems genuinely interested in making connections with everyone who lives here.

Based on 5 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth70
• Compassion & dignity70
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness65

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-06-10 · Report published 2021-06-10 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the May 2021 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and safeguarding. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, night cover, or how the home manages risk. No safeguarding concerns were identified. The review in July 2023 found no evidence to change the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is reassuring, but the published report leaves important questions unanswered for families choosing a home for someone with dementia. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip: a home with 31 beds needs adequate permanent cover overnight, not just a compliant template rota. Agency staff usage is also worth scrutinising, as high reliance on unfamiliar faces can undermine the consistency that people with dementia rely on. The inspection did not record specific detail on any of these points, so you will need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and reliance on agency staff are among the strongest predictors of safety failures in care homes supporting people with dementia. Consistency of staff is not a comfort measure; it is a safety measure.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the planned template. Count how many shifts were covered by agency staff, and specifically ask how many permanent carers are on duty overnight for the 31 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the May 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies relevant training and care planning processes are in place. The published report does not describe the content of dementia training, how frequently care plans are reviewed, or how GP access is arranged. The July 2023 review found no evidence to change the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating means that at the time of inspection, the home met the standard across training, care planning, and healthcare. For a home supporting people with dementia, the detail behind that rating matters as much as the rating itself. Our review data shows that food quality features in 20.9% of positive family reviews, and care planning in a significant proportion of critical ones. The inspection did not record whether care plans are reviewed with families present or how often they are updated as needs change. These are questions worth asking before you decide.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated as the person's condition evolves, with families actively involved in reviews. Homes that treat care plans as administrative records rather than practical guides tend to show poorer outcomes for residents with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample of how care plans are structured (with personal details removed) and ask when the last review took place for a resident with a similar level of need to your parent. Ask specifically whether families are invited to review meetings."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the May 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. The published report does not include any direct observations of staff interactions, no quotes from residents or relatives, and no specific examples of how the home supports privacy or preferred names. The Good rating indicates the home met the standard at the time of inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important factor in family satisfaction, appearing in 57.3% of positive reviews in our data set. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. The absence of specific evidence in the published report does not mean these qualities are absent, but it does mean you cannot rely on the inspection text alone to answer the question that matters most: will the staff be kind to my parent? Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, unhurried movement, and using a person's preferred name, matters as much as formal care processes for people with dementia.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual well, including their history, preferences, and communication style. Homes where staff can describe residents as people, not just as care needs, consistently show better outcomes for dignity and wellbeing.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch unscripted moments: does a staff member passing in the corridor stop to speak to a resident? Do they use the resident's preferred name without being prompted? Are interactions unhurried, or do staff move on quickly? These small signals are more reliable than any formal tour."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the May 2021 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, and how the home responds to residents' preferences and complaints. The home lists dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment as specialisms, suggesting a range of needs is catered for. The published report does not describe specific activities, how they are tailored to individuals, or what provision exists for residents who cannot join group sessions. The July 2023 review found no evidence to change the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement feature in 21.4% of positive family reviews and resident happiness in 27.1%. For someone living with dementia, the question is not just whether the home has an activities programme, but whether there is someone to sit with your parent on a day when they cannot join a group. Good Practice research supports Montessori-based and everyday household task approaches, which give people with dementia a sense of purpose and continuity rather than passive entertainment. The inspection did not record what the home actually does in practice, so this is an important area to explore directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that one-to-one engagement for residents with advanced dementia is one of the most significant gaps in residential care. Homes with a strong group activities programme do not automatically provide meaningful individual stimulation for people who cannot participate in groups.","watch_out":"Ask what happens for a resident with advanced dementia on a Tuesday afternoon when the group activity does not suit them. Ask whether there is a dedicated activities coordinator and how many hours per week they spend on individual, one-to-one engagement rather than group sessions."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the May 2021 inspection. The home has a named registered manager and a nominated individual recorded in the inspection report. This domain covers governance, staff culture, learning from incidents, and accountability. The published report does not describe the manager's tenure, how staff are supported to raise concerns, or how the home responds to complaints and incidents. The July 2023 review found no evidence to change the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive family review mentions in our data. Good Practice research shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time: homes where the manager is well established and well known to staff and residents consistently outperform those with frequent leadership change. Communication with families features in 11.5% of reviews, and in many cases families describe feeling informed and included when a manager is visible and accessible. The inspection confirms a leadership structure is in place, but does not tell you how stable or accessible that leadership is in practice.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that bottom-up empowerment, where staff at all levels feel able to raise concerns without fear, is a reliable marker of good leadership in care homes. Homes where only senior staff speak up tend to have weaker safety cultures.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether they are present on most weekdays. Ask what the home did differently as a result of the last complaint or incident it received. A specific, concrete answer is a good sign; a vague or defensive one is worth noting."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The Oaks provides care for adults of all ages, including those with dementia, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, and substance misuse challenges.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, The Oaks offers specialist support as part of their residential care. The friendly approach that families notice seems particularly valuable when someone's struggling with memory or confusion. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.