Oakdene Rest Home

What families say

The atmosphere here feels notably warm and welcoming. Residents find opportunities to chat with each other in communal areas, and there's a real sense of social connection throughout the home. Visitors often comment on how friendly and approachable the staff are, creating an environment where families feel comfortable spending time.

Based on 6 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth70
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership45
• Resident happiness60

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-12-03 · Report published 2021-12-03 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Safe was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2025 inspection. This means inspectors identified specific concerns that placed the home below the standard expected. The published summary does not provide granular detail about what those concerns were, but common factors in a Requires Improvement Safe rating include staffing levels, medicines management, falls response, and infection control. For a 27-bed home specialising in dementia, safety at night and during shift handovers is particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement in Safe is the finding that should weigh most heavily in your thinking. Our review data shows that families value staff attentiveness as a key safety signal, and Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in smaller residential homes. With only 27 beds and a dementia specialism, your parent would be relying on a small team, possibly with agency cover, during the hours when they are most vulnerable. The inspection did not confirm what the specific concerns were, so you need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent risk factors for inconsistent care in dementia settings, as unfamiliar faces increase agitation and reduce the likelihood that subtle changes in a person's condition are noticed early.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count the permanent versus agency names on each shift, and ask specifically how many staff are on duty overnight for 27 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Effective was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2025 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the training and knowledge they need, whether care plans are detailed and kept up to date, whether healthcare needs are well managed, and whether food and nutrition are given proper attention. A Requires Improvement here suggests inspectors found gaps in at least some of these areas. The published summary does not specify which aspects were most concerning.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home that lists dementia as a specialism, the Effective rating matters enormously. Good Practice research shows that dementia training should go well beyond basic awareness to include how to communicate with someone who has limited verbal ability, how to interpret changed behaviour as a possible sign of pain or distress, and how to use care plans as living documents rather than administrative records. A Requires Improvement in Effective raises a direct question about whether staff at Oakdene have that depth of knowledge. Food quality, which 20.9% of positive family reviews specifically mention, also falls under this domain and was not assessed in the published findings.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base confirms that care plans function as living documents only when they are reviewed regularly with input from the person themselves and their family. Homes rated Requires Improvement in Effective frequently show care plans that are outdated or do not reflect the person's current preferences and health status.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan, with personal details removed if needed. Check when it was last reviewed, whether it records your parent's preferred name, their daily routine, and what comforts them when they are distressed. If it reads like a form filled in once at admission, that is a concern."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Caring was rated Good at the October 2025 inspection, which is a genuine positive in an otherwise mixed picture. This domain covers whether staff are kind and respectful, whether people's dignity and privacy are protected, and whether individuals are supported to maintain as much independence as possible. A Good rating here means inspectors observed or heard enough positive evidence to be satisfied that the people living at Oakdene are treated with warmth and respect. The published summary does not include specific observations or direct quotes, so the detail behind the rating is not available.","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 together account for a further 55.2%. A Good in Caring is therefore the most reassuring finding in this inspection. Good Practice research also confirms that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication matters as much as words: whether a carer sits at eye level, moves without rush, and makes physical contact feel safe rather than clinical. On your visit, watch for those moments rather than listening to what staff say to you.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care in dementia settings depends on staff knowing the individual, including their history, their preferred name, and their personal habits. Homes where staff can speak knowledgeably about each resident without consulting notes tend to score consistently better on dignity and wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"When you visit, notice whether a member of staff addresses your parent by their preferred name without being prompted, and whether they take time to sit and engage rather than completing a task and moving on. Those small, observable behaviours are reliable indicators of whether the Good Caring rating reflects everyday practice."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the October 2025 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors its approach to each individual, whether activities are meaningful and accessible, and whether complaints are handled well. A Good rating here suggests inspectors were satisfied that the home makes reasonable efforts to support individual lives and respond to people's preferences. The published summary does not provide specific detail about the activity programme, how complaints are managed, or how end-of-life planning is approached.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness accounts for a further 27.1%. A Good in Responsive is encouraging, but the detail matters enormously for your parent specifically. Good Practice research shows that group activities alone are insufficient for people with advancing dementia: what makes a real difference is one-to-one engagement, including everyday household tasks, music from a person's era, or simple sensory activities tailored to their history and preferences. Whether Oakdene delivers that individual level of engagement is not confirmed in the published findings.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review identified Montessori-based approaches and individually tailored activities as having the strongest evidence base for improving wellbeing in people with dementia. Homes that rely primarily on group activities show weaker outcomes for those who cannot or will not participate in a group setting.","watch_out":"Ask the activity coordinator to describe what they would do specifically for your parent on a day when they did not want to join a group session. If the answer is vague or defaults to television, that tells you something important about the depth of individual engagement on offer."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2025 inspection. This is a significant finding because leadership quality shapes everything else in a care home. The home is run by Oak Health UK Ltd, with Ms Sharon Ann Cordrey as registered manager and Mr Ajvir Sandhu as nominated individual. A Requires Improvement in Well-led typically means inspectors found gaps in governance, quality assurance, or the culture of learning from incidents and feedback. The published summary does not specify which aspects of leadership were most concerning.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive family reviews, and Good Practice research consistently shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in a care home. A Requires Improvement in Well-led, combined with Requires Improvement in Safe and Effective, raises a question about whether the registered manager has the systems and support in place to drive sustained improvement. Communication with families, mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews, also falls under this domain and was not specifically assessed in the published findings.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to speak up about concerns, and where managers visibly act on feedback, show consistently better outcomes for people with dementia. Bottom-up empowerment, where frontline carers feel ownership of quality, is a more reliable predictor of sustained improvement than top-down compliance.","watch_out":"Ask the registered manager two specific questions: how long have they been in post at Oakdene, and what is the one thing they have changed since the October 2025 inspection as a direct result of the Requires Improvement findings? A confident, specific answer is a good sign; a vague or defensive answer is not."}

  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 Oakdene provides residential care for people over 65, with particular experience in supporting those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the patient and attentive approach of the care team seems especially valuable. Staff take time to understand each person's needs and maintain consistent, reassuring care. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.