Enter and view: The Oaks Care Home

Healthwatch Greenwich undertook an Enter and View visit to The Oaks Care Home on 23 February 2018. The home provides nursing and dementia care for older people and was found to be clean, well maintained and welcoming. Staff were described as helpful and responsive, and residents appeared comfortable and well cared for within a spacious environment with good facilities. 

The home offered en-suite bedrooms, communal lounges, activity spaces, a café, hairdressing facilities and attractive gardens. Residents were encouraged to personalise their rooms, and Healthwatch noted that the assisted bathroom, bedrooms and communal areas were clean and in good condition. 

Healthwatch identified opportunities to make the environment more dementia friendly. The layout of the building was complex and could be difficult to navigate, with a need for clearer pictorial signage. The report also suggested introducing memory boxes and other environmental features to support orientation and encourage residents with dementia to move around the home more independently. In addition, concerns raised separately by a family member had been referred to the Royal Borough of Greenwich for consideration.

Overall, Healthwatch concluded that residents appeared happy and well looked after, and that the home provided a safe and pleasant environment. Recommendations focused on improving dementia-friendly signage, introducing memory boxes and exploring ways to make the environment more stimulating and accessible for residents living with dementia.