- Care home
The Homestead
Assessment report published 4 November 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Our view of the service
About the service
The Homestead care home provides care for up to 24 people. At the time of the assessment there were 19 people living in the home.
Who the service is for
The Homestead care home provides support for older people some of whom may live with dementia.
Key findings
We carried out this assessment on the 14 October. 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 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.
People were supported by enough staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them safely. Risks were assessed and people were involved in the process. There were effective systems in place to safeguard people from abuse. People and their relatives told us the home was safe, one person said, “Yes, thank you, I am well looked after.”
Medicines were administered safely and there were systems in place to ensure the environment was safe. The home was nicely decorated, well maintained and homely. Staff understood the importance of ensuring people were safe. People told us the home was clean and tidy. One person said, “Yes, I am happy with the cleaning of my room.”
Effective systems were in place to ensure the quality of care was checked on a regular basis. Staff had training in a range of areas to enable them to do their jobs effectively. The team engaged with health care professionals when required.
People's experience of this service
We spoke to several people during our visit to the home. We received positive feedback from everyone we spoke with about the care being delivered at The Homestead. We observed staff engaging with people in a caring and kind way. During lunch time people were supported to make choices about meals. One person told us, “They have good food, you get a variety. I’ve never had something I didn’t like. They will offer something else, but I usually say no.”
Staff knew people well and understood people’s choices and preferences. We observed people being offered choices throughout our visit. There was a nice, relaxed atmosphere in the home. People’s dignity was respected by staff, for example, we observed staff knocking on people’s bedroom doors before entering their space.
People were asked for their permission before care was offered. We observed staff waited for the person to be ready. Staff understood the importance of respecting people’s rights to withdraw consent at any time.
People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. Outcomes for people were monitored by the team. People’s needs were monitored and discussed regularly. Health care professionals were involved in people’s care and support. People and relatives had the opportunity to provide feedback. There was a complaints process in place and people told us if they had any concerns they would talk to the staff and managers.