The Oaks

What families say

Based on 8 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership52
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-01-27 · Report published 2023-01-27 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This indicates inspectors were satisfied that the home manages risk, medicines, and staffing to an acceptable standard. The published summary does not provide specific detail about how falls are managed, how medicines are stored and administered, or what night staffing levels look like. The home caters for up to 43 people, including those with dementia and physical disabilities, which makes consistent safe staffing particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the published report does not give you the specific detail you need to feel fully confident. Our Good Practice evidence base identifies night staffing as the single most common point at which safety slips in care homes, and heavy reliance on agency staff is a known risk factor for inconsistency. Because the published summary is brief, you cannot assess these factors from the report alone. The cleanliness theme accounts for 24.3% of positive family reviews in our data, and a safe environment is mentioned in 11.8%. Ask to see the falls log and check whether the same staff names appear on rotas across different weeks.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of care quality deterioration, because unfamiliar staff cannot apply person-centred knowledge built up over time. A home with low agency use and stable night staffing is measurably safer for someone with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see last week's actual staffing rota, not a template. Count how many permanent versus agency names appear on overnight shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is on the dementia unit after 8pm."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans reflect individual needs, and whether healthcare access is organised properly. The home lists dementia as a specialism and also supports people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The published summary does not include specific observations about dementia training content, GP visit frequency, or how care plans are kept up to date.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you inspectors found the foundations in place, but it does not tell you whether your parent's care plan will actually reflect who they are: their preferred name, their daily routines, what comforts them when they are distressed. Our Good Practice evidence base shows that care plans function best when they are treated as living documents reviewed at least monthly and updated with family input. Food quality accounts for 20.9% of positive family reviews in our data, and the published report says nothing specific about mealtimes. Visit at lunchtime and watch whether staff sit with residents, whether there is real choice, and whether portions are adequate.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that dementia training quality varies enormously between homes, and that training which includes non-verbal communication and person-centred techniques produces measurably better outcomes for residents than tick-box compliance training. Ask what specific dementia training the staff have completed and who delivered it.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed, whether families are invited to those reviews, and whether you can see a sample of how a care plan is structured before your parent moves in."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This covers whether staff are kind and respectful, whether residents are treated with dignity, and whether people's independence is supported. The published summary does not include specific inspector observations, resident quotes, or examples of how staff handle distress or personal care. For a home supporting people with dementia, the quality of everyday interactions matters enormously, and the published report does not give enough detail to assess this fully.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity appear in 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in whether your mum is addressed by her preferred name, whether staff pause and listen before moving on, and whether she is given time to make her own choices even when that takes longer. A Good Caring rating is a positive signal, but the only way to assess warmth directly is to observe it yourself. Arrive unannounced if possible, or visit at a time when the home is not expecting a formal viewing.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review found that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication for people with advanced dementia, and that staff who are trained to read and respond to facial expressions and body language produce significantly lower rates of agitation and distress in residents.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff address residents in communal areas when passing through. Do they make eye contact, use a preferred name, and pause? Or do they move through without acknowledgement? This corridor behaviour is one of the most reliable indicators of genuine culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This covers whether the home tailors its care to individual needs, offers meaningful activities, and handles end-of-life care well. The home supports people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments across 43 beds. The published summary does not describe the activities programme, what provision exists for residents who cannot join group sessions, or how the home approaches advance care planning.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities engagement accounts for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. A Good Responsive rating means inspectors were satisfied at the time of their visit, but it does not tell you what your dad would actually do on a Tuesday afternoon. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights that group activities alone are insufficient for people with mid-to-late stage dementia: what matters is whether there is someone available to sit with your dad one-to-one, to help him do something familiar like folding, gardening, or looking through photographs. Ask specifically about this, not just the general programme.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett review found strong evidence that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household task engagement reduce agitation and improve wellbeing in people with dementia, and that these approaches require consistent staffing and individual knowledge rather than group programming alone.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity schedule for the past two weeks, not a future plan. Then ask what happens for a resident who is unable or unwilling to join group sessions: who sits with them, for how long, and how is that recorded?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Requires Improvement at the May 2024 inspection. This is the one area where the home fell below the Good standard. Well-led covers the quality of management, the culture of the home, whether staff can raise concerns, and whether the home has effective systems to monitor and improve quality. The published summary does not specify what exactly inspectors found wanting. The home is run by Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, a well-established organisation, but provider-level reputation does not automatically translate into strong site-level leadership.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership quality is the most reliable predictor of whether a care home sustains its standards or slides back over time. Our family review data shows management and communication appear in 23.4% and 11.5% of positive reviews respectively, and the Good Practice evidence base identifies leadership stability as a key driver of quality. A Requires Improvement rating here is the main reason this home's overall score is held back from the high seventies or above. It does not mean the care is poor, but it does mean you need to ask harder questions about who is in charge, how long they have been there, and what specific actions they are taking in response to the inspection.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review found that management instability, including frequent manager turnover and unclear accountability structures, is one of the strongest predictors of declining care quality in the subsequent inspection cycle. Homes where managers are present on the floor and known to residents by name consistently outperform those where management is predominantly office-based.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, what specific improvements were identified in the May 2024 inspection, and what evidence can you show me that those improvements are underway? A manager who can answer this clearly and specifically, with documentation, is a far better sign than polished reassurances."}

  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 home welcomes residents with various needs, including those with dementia, sensory impairments, and physical disabilities. They're equipped to care for both younger adults and those over 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the team provides specialized support within the home's flexible care framework. This means your loved one can receive the specific help they need while still enjoying as much independence as possible. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.