Priory Oak Vale Gardens

We support our residents to attend family events and visit their family homes. We will work with the resident and their relatives to ensure possible risks are managed and that everyone is supported. This may mean the individual’s key worker will come along on the visit. For those who are unable to visit their family home, we can support your loved ones with video calls.

Family and friends are welcome to visit. Due to the nature of the support we provide, we do have set visiting times, which will be communicated to the family members of the people we support.

We strive to keep the loved ones of our residents involved in their care. We work with families to understand how they would prefer to be communicated with. This could include phone calls, emails or face-to-face meetings, when they visit.

Everyone who stays with us are supported to call their loved ones any time, via phone, video call or assistive technology such as eye-gaze, where appropriate. Family and friends are also able to call as often as they like. We have landlines available at the home for this, and can support residents to purchase and use their own mobile phones.

Bedrooms are all furnished to a robust, fitted standard, with specialist equipment, which is provided as required. Each bedroom has its own en-suite facilities, and a 32-inch Smart TV on the wall. We encourage our residents to personalise their bedrooms as much as possible, taking into account the need to maintain a safe environment.

Yes, due to the nature of the service, the doors are locked and we have a keypad system in place. However, residents have free access to the enclosed garden.

Nutrition is personalised to the needs of our residents, depending on their dietary and clinical needs. Where people have dysphagic needs, our speech and language therapist support our residents with plans and monitoring. Our chefs will cater for everyone's individual preferences and special dietary requirements. There are always alternative meals available and people can choose their meals. We have a rotating menu, which changes every four weeks, reflecting seasonal variety. We also have themed meals, such as Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Indian styled food.

Our team will ensure that residents always have access to clean clothes and bedding. We have a dedicated laundry room, and this is mainly carried out by the staff but family can do their loved ones laundry, if they wish.

We have a dedicated housekeeping team who manage all of the cleaning and domestic tasks.

We would ask that residents do not bring valuables such as family heirlooms to our home, as we cannot guarantee their safety. We may place restrictions on some items where the risks cannot be appropriately managed, such as alcohol, non-approved drugs and medications, solvent-based products and lighters. We ask family and friends to talk with us about any food items they may wish to bring in, to ensure that these are safe for the person to have and also for others we are supporting.

Every resident has a tailored therapy and activities planner. This will include both in-house activities as well as visits into the community. We have a monthly resident meeting where requests can be made about activities, they wish to participate in around the local area. We use a variety of communication tools to ensure the resident can have an input into the planning of activities.

We use positive behaviour support (PBS) informed approaches when working with people who may present some low-level behaviours that may challenge. Our team strive to understand the needs and preferences of our residents, to ensure that the right support is in place for each individual.

When people first come to us, a care plan will be put in place immediately to ensure that their needs are met. We meet with the family member soon after their loved one is admitted, to find out more about their needs and aspiration. We will then have a full multidisciplinary team meeting within the first four weeks of their arrival, and subsequently hold goals meetings every four months with the individual and their family, as appropriate, to discuss progress and to re-set goals. The support plans and risk assessments are fully reviewed each month, to account for the changing needs of the people we support.

Oak Vale Gardens has on-site car parking facilities, which are free to use. There is also free on-road parking if our car park is full.

There is a no smoking policy in our home and our grounds.

Our fees can vary, and are based on an assessment of each individual's needs. Many people are eligible for financial help towards the cost of support, and this funding can be accessed by contacting your local authority. Once funding has been agreed, we will work with your local care team to put together a bespoke package of care. Please note, referrals for NHS or Local Authority funded services must come from a referring organisation.