Garland House

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 82 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider was exceptional at making sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

People, relatives and health and social care professionals all told us the service was exceptional at making sure people were at the centre of their care. A health care professional told us, “‘It never smells apart from of baking. It feels like residents are walking around their house as their own home. I would give them outstanding as it is that genuine compassionate person-centred care.” Comments from relatives included, “What I like is that it is so friendly. Mum has come out of herself due to the staff. I know all the staff and they know mum”; “They took her to hospital and stayed with her and kept me up to date. On return they had a hospital bed, a different bigger room and changed her chair so her legs could be raised of the ground. I could not fault them on anything. They always put the residents first” and “Absolutely amazing. Staff welcomed her with open arms. Everyone knew me and my husband. On arrival it was joyful. Staff open the door with a smile: So welcoming.”

Staff, health and social care professionals and relatives described how the service provided care in partnership with people to improve their well-being. A staff member told us about a person who found it hard to socialise and did not want to go out. Over time this staff member formed a close relationship of trust with the person. They encouraged and motivated the person to go out for a coffee at a café. The staff member expressed their joy at their success at accompanying the person on the outing. A relative told us that the service had arranged a ‘Bake off’ for the residents. They explained that the residents gave scores for all the cakes and that they were a judge and tasted all the cakes too.

The service offered a range of activities based on people’s preferences. A range of sensory experiences had been introduced such as pizza making sessions, and fruit served on a Friday. Volunteers had been recruited to help in the kitchen and during activities. A person told us, “There is a singer that comes in. I like to listen to them”. A relative said, “There is something on Monday to Friday. A singer every 6 weeks, bingo, games and quizzes. They had Spanish lessons which my family member enjoyed and pamper days. There is enough for people to do.” We observed a person who liked to spend time by themselves, stand in the door of the lounge so they could see and hear a professional play the violin.

The provider had acted on feedback from people with mobility or sensory needs to help them to get out more easily in the community. They had made contact with a community car service which was the main point of contact for anyone needing accessible transport. A regular church service was held at the service. People were also able to attend church services, theatre performances and virtual visits with loved ones through digital platforms.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

The service worked well with health and social professionals involved in people’s care. They made referrals to health professionals as appropriate and ensured any guidance given was available to staff, so people’s needs continued to be met. A social care professional told us, “The service is very responsive. Staff address any questions or queries promptly.”

Staff knew people’s care and support needs and there were processes to ensure people had access to health care services. A health care professional told us, “The management team show a lot of care, and support to their residents. They have a good knowledge of their resident’s day to day.” Changes in people’s needs were shared at staff handovers and monitored through regular meetings and staff communications. Care plans detailed people’s care and support needs, as well as their clinical needs in relation to health conditions.Relatives were positive about how people’s care was monitored.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The provider was aware of their responsibilities to ensure people with a disability, or sensory loss received information in a way they could understand it and support with their communication.People’s communication needs had been assessed and were detailed in their care and support records. This included aids people needed to help communicate such as glasses and hearing aids. We observed staff communicated with people in a way they could understand and staff understood their verbal and non verbal responses. A staff member was talking with one person but realised the person did not understand what they were saying. The staff member apologised saying, “I’m sorry, did I say that too fast. I’ll say it slowly for you.”

Aspects of people’s care was provided in a way people could understand. Information displayed around the service such as menus and activity schedules used large print for people with visual impairments. Notebooks and whiteboards were available for people who may find it easier to express themselves by putting their thoughts into writing. In order for people to enjoy leisure activities, regardless of any visual ability, audio books and films offering audio descriptions were made available.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, make a compliment, or raise complaints about their support. Staff involved people in decisions about their support and told them what had changed as a result.

The provider understood the importance of gaining feedback from a variety of sources about the service, and acting on them. Annual surveys of people, relatives, professionals and staff were carried out yearly. Surveys were based on the key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The results of the 2025 survey were acted and reported in a ‘You said, We did’ report. This had included ensuring the doorbell sounded throughout the service, so staff could hear it to answer it promptly. Also, renovating the bathrooms to include a new bath and shower so it is accessible for everyone. The preliminary results for the 2026 surveys showed a high level of satisfaction.

A staff member has been appointed as a ‘Resident champion’ whose responsibility included ensuring there were regular meetings with residents. People had been asked what they would like to be added to the food trolley, about activities and safety. A relative told us, “They have meetings with residents and I’ve seen the minutes displayed there. They do put things in place that have been brought up at the meetings. They wanted to more outdoor trips and went on a boat trip and went to the seaside.”

People and relatives told us they felt confident to raise any concerns they had with the staff and manager. Any concerns or complaints received had been investigated, in line with the provider’s policy and responses had been provided. Relatives told us any issues were sorted out quickly so there was no need for them to make a formal complaint. Comments from relatives included, “I can easily talk to any staff”; “When I mentioned to staff a cushion he was sat on was not the cleanest. Staff said they were sorry and changed it”; and “Communication is pretty good. The lift didn’t work and we got an email to say it was broken and an engineer was coming, and then another one to say it was mended."

The provider made sure that people could access the support they needed when they needed it.

There were no barriers to people being referred or admitted to the Garland House. There was a clear admissions criteria and people’s needs were assessed before moving into the service. People would only not be admitted if the provider had assessed staff did not have the appropriate skills to provide safe care to an individual.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their support in response to this.

Staff were made aware of the provider’s equality and diversity policy at induction. The policy was discussed with staff to embed their knowledge. Managers and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage people using the service and took action when needed.

Staff described the service as ‘flexible’ and told us adjustments had been made which took into consideration their individual circumstances. This included shift patterns being adjusted to work around people’s caring commitments and any medical conditions.

People were given exceptional support to plan for important life changes, so they could make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

The service was for older people but had recognised some people had specific goals they wanted to achieve in life. Staff helped an older person, with a learning disability set their goals and supported them to take the steps needed to achieve these goals. A person wanted to be more active as they were already going out with a staff member but wanted to be able to make friends. They were supported to get funding to attend a day service and try out the sessions they enjoyed. As a result, the person had made a friend and was supported to arrange transport to meet them. The deputy manager told us about the person’s friend, “They have become one of the Garland family. They come here for lunch and we arranged transport for them, when it has not been arranged”. The person who had achieved their goals told us, “I am so excited about tomorrow when I will see X”.

A staff member had commented in the 2026 annual survey, ‘With the newly installed goals this is a great feature to document and refer back to. A guide to individualise any future goals/plans for the future.’

A member of the hospice team was extremely positive about Garland House and how they cared for people at the end of their lives. They told us if they needed a care home they would choose Garland House. End of life care plans were as comprehensive as the person wanted them to be. A health care professional said, “They keep all the residents advanced care planning up to date and inform me if any needs reviewing.” Staff worked with the local hospice to ensure people had effective support and pain relief. This enabled people to have a dignified and pain free death.

Relatives highly praised the service on the end of life care they had provided to their family member. They told us staff cared for people with compassion and that staff’s care also extended to them, which was important at this difficult time. A relative told us, “They really looked after me. The manager was amazing and not afraid to broach death. She was very supportive of me. The manager and her team were like family to me.” Another relative said, “It changed my experience of her death when she died. I was so grateful she was there with incredible people."