- Care home
Abbey Grange Nursing Home
Assessment report published 26 September 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 9 September 2026. The service is a care home providing residential and nursing care to younger people, and older people, including people living with dementia. We carried out an assessment looking at all the quality statements and all key questions. Our decision to inspect the service was due to the age of the rating. At our last assessment the service was rated good and at this assessment the service had remained overall good, with a rating of requires improvement in the safe key question.
People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. People received their medicines as prescribed by staff who were competent in the safe administration of medicines. Risks associated with people’s care were not always managed safely; some care plans did not always provide sufficient information to support people safely. Accidents and incidents were not always robustly analysed to identify trends and patterns to mitigate future risks. We carried out a tour of the home and found people were not always protected from the risk and spread of infection. Some areas of the home required deep cleaning. The environment was not always safe. Some large items of furniture were not securely fitted to the wall, and some radiator covers required fixing. The registered manager and provider took swift and appropriate actions to mitigate risk and improve practice.
Staff were kind and caring when they interacted with people, however, there were times when staff were task focused. Staff were not always deployed effectively which meant some areas of the home were left without staff presence. Following our assessment the registered manager reviewed staffing to ensure staff were more accessible. Activity co-ordinators interacted well with people and ensure social stimulation was meaningful.
The provider had a complaints procedure which was available and displayed in the home. People felt able to raise concerns with staff and leaders. Information was available around the home for people and visitors.
Management systems and processes were not always effective in identifying areas for improvement. During our inspection we identified concerns in relation to safe care and treatment. These issues had not been previously identified by the management team. However, other concerns such as environmental issues had been identified and there was an action plan in place to address them.
Following our inspection the provider took appropriate actions to address the concerns. They sent us evidence that the issues identified had been addressed and measures put in place to prevent recurrence.
People's experience of this service
People told us staff were kind and caring. One person said, “Staff are chatty and I like the banter we share.” Another person said, “The staff look after me well. I can have a laugh with the staff and the manager.” People’s relatives were also happy with the caring nature of the staff. One relative said, “It’s a nice, open, atmosphere.” However, another relative said, “Whilst the care is good and consistent, there are not enough staff. Staff are often not visible and leave people to watch the television.” Our observations identified concerns with staff deployment and the registered manager agreed to take action to address this.
Most people and relatives told us they enjoyed their meals. One person said, “I have plenty to eat.” Another person said, “The food is good here.” One relative said, “My [family member] enjoys the food.” Another relative said, “My [family member] can have a drink whenever they want 1.” We observed the mealtime experience and found some changes were required to improve. For example, menus were not available in dining areas, and staff were task focused and didn’t always encourage people to eat. We raised our concerns with the registered manager who carried out a range of mealtime observations and confirmed changes have been made to improve the mealtime experience.
People had access to 2 activity co-ordinators who provided social stimulation and activities. People were complimentary about the range of activities they had access to. Some people told us they liked going out in the garden and were supported to do this.
People and relatives told us they were able to raise concerns with staff and leaders. One person said, “I would go to the office for a chat if I had a problem.” Another person said, “I don’t like to complain but I would talk to [staff name] if I had concerns.” Some people remembered completing a recent survey regarding the care and support provided at the home.