The Grange Care Centre in Faringdon, Oxfordshire has been awarded an outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission, following the inspections on 6 & 12 September 2018.
The care home provides personal and nursing care for up to 49 older people some of whom may be living with dementia or had a stroke.
The CQC awarded The Grange outstanding on how caring, responsive and well-led it is, and good for how safe and effective it is.
There was a homely and friendly atmosphere in the home. People were relaxed and smiled when they saw a member of staff. The ethos of the home was one of being caring and nurturing. Every resident CQC inspectors spoke with confirmed staff supported them in an individual and caring manner.
A healthcare professional said, "The staff are all very caring and ensure the best care is provided. This I feel is mainly to very proactive and supportive management leads, whose aim is for excellent care." Staff confirmed that they felt supported by the management team and therefore staff morale was high in the home and enabled staff to be positive and cheerful with the people.
The Grange residents were extremely positive about the support they received and commented, "They do anything I ask, always comb my hair right. I find them very good; I couldn't manage without them," and "Staff are absolutely fabulous. They're so quick and patient. They always ask me what I want to wear in the mornings. They always come when you press the bell. They turn your bed back, see that you're all comfortable before they go." Another person described how staff were helpful. They said, If I've left something upstairs that I need, they say don't worry, I'll get it for you. It’s helped me a lot because I can't get upstairs on my own."
The CQC highlighted that staff had a 'can do' attitude and were positive about working in the home. They knew what people liked to do prior to moving into the home and where possible ensured people continued to do the things they enjoyed. One person talked with staff about football and staff confirmed they had taken this person to a football match which they had not done in a while. They now had photographs in their bedroom and a match programme to show others. This helped them be part of a community event, see a sport that they liked and do something outside of the home in a supportive environment.
The Grange Care Centre was a member with the Centre for Creativity and Innovation in Care. This was an organisation for like-minded care providers in order to share information and learn from each other. This encouraged the staff team to continue to consider ways of making the experience of living in a care home playful and creating new possibilities for people. By being a member, the staff team were supported to keep being forward thinking and reflecting on their practice. The home also continued to have an award with the National Stroke Association. At the last 2016 inspection, the home was the first care home to achieve this award and they continued to maintain this award through high standards of care and were visited by the organisation to ensure they continued to follow best practice.