- Care home
Abbeyfield Residential Care Home - The Grove
Assessment report published 12 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 9 September 2026. This assessment was carried out to check whether the provider had made progress since the last assessment completed between 21 and 28 January 2025. At the last assessment, the provider was in breach of 3 regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, staffing and good governance and was rated requires improvement. At this assessment, the provider had made progress and was no longer in breach of regulations. The service is a residential care home providing support for up to 32 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of inspection there were 22 people living at the service.
Staff told us management had implemented many improvements since the last assessment. They said the atmosphere in the home and teamwork were much better. Staff told us they received good support and had completed training relevant to their role. Staff were aware of the whistleblowing procedure and were confident to use it if needed. A staff member said, “I would raise concerns, but I have not had to do that here.”
The home had a new registered manager since the last assessment. Staff said the registered manager was approachable and making a difference. A staff member said, “We have different management altogether. A lot of changes are happening here.”
Care plans had been reviewed and were detailed and person centred and detailed. They clearly detailed the support people needed from staff and what they wanted to do themselves. Risks were assessed as part of the care planning process.
Medicines were managed safely. Improvements had been made to medicines management, including implementing an electronic medicine recording system which was used in an effective way.
Incidents, accidents and safeguarding concerns were logged and investigated. Opportunities for learning were identified and shared with staff.
The provider had regular opportunities for staff to give feedback about the care provided and action was taken where needed.
The provider had a structured approach to quality assurance. A range of audits and checks were completed regularly and were effective in identifying shortfalls and areas for improvement. There were some minor gaps in completion of audits which the registered manager acted on immediately.
People's experience of this service
People gave consistently good feedback about the care provided. They described staff as kind and helpful. A person said, “I like it here, it is very nice. They [staff] are very nice, very obliging.” People did not have any concerns but felt able to speak with staff if needed.
People had a positive lunchtime experience. A person said, “The food is good, there is always plenty of food.” The lunchtime was well organised, and people were supported to eat and drink in line with their personal needs. Staff throughout were attentive, respectful and patient.
People and relatives had good opportunities to give feedback about the care provided, through regular meeting and surveys. The feedback from the most recent survey was positive and improvements implemented as a result.