During an assessment under our new approach
About the service
Stones Place is a care home providing support for up to 42 people. There were 37 people using the service at the time of the inspection. The service supports adults aged 65 and over.
Who the service is for
Stones Place is a residential care home for older people. The service supports people to live independently for as long as possible whilst providing the care and support they need.
The home places a strong emphasis on helping people continue living meaningful and fulfilling lives. Staff support people in ways which enable them to remain connected to what is important to them whilst maintaining as much independence and choice as possible.
Our view of the service
We carried out this assessment on 10 July 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
People were supported by staff who knew them well and had the skills and knowledge to support them safely. Risks were monitored and managed appropriately whilst promoting people's independence and choice. Medicines were managed safely and in a person-centred way, including supporting people to retain responsibility for their own medicines where appropriate. The home was clean and well maintained, with effective systems in place to safeguard people from abuse and neglect.
People's needs were assessed and reviewed to ensure care remained responsive to changing circumstances. Staff worked effectively with healthcare professionals and were proactive in recognising when additional support was needed. Visiting professionals told us staff knew people well and were quick to recognise when needs changed. One professional told us, "Stones Place is generally one of our best-performing care homes. The staff are proactive and consistently support [people] to maintain their independence wherever possible. They know [people] extremely well and have a good understanding of their own competencies, as well as the roles of other services, making appropriate and timely referrals when additional support is required."
Staff respected people's rights and supported them to make decisions about their care and support. People were encouraged to maintain choice and control over their lives and were involved in decisions about how they wished to be supported. Staff understood the importance of seeking consent and supporting people to express their views, ensuring care was delivered in line with their wishes and preferences.
People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect by staff who had developed meaningful and trusting relationships with them. Staff supported people in ways which reflected their preferences and routines and encouraged them to remain as independent as possible.
The service demonstrated a strong commitment to helping people live fulfilling lives. People were supported to maintain interests and take part in meaningful activities both within the home and the wider community. People also had access to pastoral support and one-to-one engagement where this was important to them. For some people, this helped ensure their spiritual and religious needs were met in line with their wishes and preferences. For others, it provided opportunities for emotional support and meaningful conversation.
People were encouraged to influence how the home developed through meetings and surveys, and leaders responded positively to ideas about future projects. There was a strong culture of listening to feedback and using it constructively to drive improvements and continually enhance people's experiences of living at the home.
Leaders were visible and promoted an open and positive culture. People, relatives, staff and visiting professionals consistently spoke positively about the home. Professionals described positive working relationships with the service and highlighted the home's willingness to embrace learning and make changes which improved people's experiences and quality of care.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.