A BASINGSTOKE care home has been told that it must improve by a health watchdog.

Oakridge House Care Home, in Jefferson Road which provides nursing and residential care for up to 91 people who have a range of needs, including those living with dementia, epilepsy and diabetes and those receiving end of life care, received a “requires improvement” rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors visited the Hampshire County Council-run care home in May and found that despite improvement since the last CQC inspection, there were other areas that still needed to be rectified.

The report noted that staff at the home needed to work closer with residents on a oneto-one basis to prevent them feeling isolated.

The report said: “The service was not always responsive.

“There were not always sufficient numbers of activities staff to ensure all people received personalised one-to-one interaction when unable to participate in group activities.

“People were not always supported to enjoy their food in a timely fashion.

“Some people did not always receive the assistance they required at the time they required.”

Inspectors had noted that improvements had been made since the last visit in December, 2014, but areas of the services’ effectiveness and response to residents still needed improvements.

Despite being given a “requires improvement” status by the CQC, inspectors praised registered manager Maxine Dyer and staff for the improvements to residents’ care plans, which contained suitable guidance to allow staff to care for people in a safe and effective way, as well as being regularly updated.

Relatives of people using the service told inspectors they felt their family members were cared for safely and staff understood the need of each individual resident.

The report continued: “The registered manager and staff promoted a culture which focused on providing care in the way that staff would wish to receive care themselves.

“The staff and registered manager promptly engaged with other healthcare agencies and professionals to ensure people’s identified health care needs were met promptly and to maintain people’s safety and welfare.

“Relatives and those with legal authority to represent people were involved in planning people’s care. This ensured that people’s needs and preferences were taken into account when developing their care plans.”