- Care home
Highgrove
Assessment report published 1 April 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment 11 February to 11 March 2026. We visited the service on 11 February 2026.
Highgrove is a care home providing personal care to older people some of whom were living with dementia. The service can support up to 67 people. At the time of this assessment 60 people were living at Highgrove.
We last rated this service under our previous methodology in January 2020 where it was inspected and rated as good. At this assessment we reviewed all 5 key questions and the rating remains good.
Highgrove is a purpose-built care home and overall was clean, tidy and well maintained. During our visit we noted some areas had heating issues leading to the use of portable heaters. Although risk assessments were in place, the ongoing nature of the problem meant risks were not fully mitigated. The registered manager had already installed some cool-touch heaters and, after discussion, immediately ordered additional units as a safer interim option while a long-term solution was agreed.
Care records were person centred and were seen to be reviewed regularly. Staff completed risk assessments and regularly reviewed these. However, during our visit we noted that some risks were not always fully mitigated in practice. We raised this with the registered manager who took immediate action.
Medicines were administered safely and learning from audits applied. Issues noted were promptly addressed.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported by staff who were safely recruited and trained.
People were protected from the risks of abuse and staff were trusted to keep them safe. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people. Lessons were learnt from incidents and shared with staff.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity, treated them as individuals and supported their preferences.
Governance systems, audits and checks were in place to support safety and quality. Lessons learned from events were completed to mitigate future risk.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with a range of people living at the home, as well as their families, to understand their experiences of the care and support provided.
Feedback from people and their relatives was consistently positive about the care delivered. One person told us, “It is good here, the staff are all helpful and nice.” A relative told us, “I can’t praise this place enough …they have been brilliant with [person] here.”
People were supported to maintain independence and were encouraged to take part in activities. One person told us, “The activities are very good. The staff support me to go to them.” Another person told us, “I go to the activities quite a bit, but I also sometimes have a break from them it’s up to me.”
People and their relatives shared positive feedback about the food provided. One person told us, “The food is lovely. There is a menu to choose from, or they will find you something else if you don’t fancy what is on the menu.”
We observed staff spending time with people in a warm and caring way. They took time to listen, offered meaningful choices, and supported people to make their own decisions.
People and their relatives told us they were aware of how to make a complaint and felt confident doing so if required. They reported that the service was organised and well‑run.