Updated 13 June 2024
We undertook an assessment of Highgrove Care Home between 6 to 21 August 2024 in response to concerns we had about the governance of the service following a review of information the home had sent us. Highgrove provides accommodation and care for up to 21 people. There were 15 people living in the home at the time of our assessment. The service supports older people and people living with dementia. We looked at how people were protected from the risk of abuse, the management of incidents, staffing levels and how people’s care needs were met. We also reviewed staff training, how people were supported with kindness, independence and equality in outcomes and governance. We spoke with people who used the service, relatives and staff. This included the registered manager, the operations manager and the provider. Some people could not fully verbalise their feedback, we observed their interactions with other people and staff. We looked at people’s care plans and staff recruitment files. We found people were mostly protected from abuse however the systems in place to manage risk had not always been effective and environmental risks to people’s health had not always been identified. These were rectified immediately; however, we were not assured the provider had full oversight of health and safety. There were systems in place to check the quality of the service however, these had not been robust enough to identify the areas of concern we found around health and safety. There were enough staff to support people. Staff were recruited safely and had the training they needed. Staff were happy in their role and this led to a positive atmosphere.