Defoe Court

Updated 24 June 2025

Date of Assessment: 23 July to 17 September 2025. The service is a care home providing support to older people living with nursing needs, dementia and physical disabilities. People were safe and received support that responded to their needs. Medicines were managed safely. Staffing levels were monitored to ensure people received safe support. However, we received feedback from relatives and staff that staff were sometimes overworked and stretched in their roles. We discussed this with the provider, who said staffing levels would be reviewed. Effective infection prevention and control systems were in place. People were safeguarded from abuse. Accidents and incidents were monitored to see if lessons could be learnt to keep people safe.

People were involved in assessments of their needs, and these were regularly reviewed. Staff worked in successful partnership with other healthcare professionals to ensure people received effective support. People had enough to eat and drink to stay healthy. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Where people lacked capacity staff involved those close to them to help make decisions.

The provider treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff treated people as individuals and were skilled in making sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff. People and their relatives were listened to and their feedback acted on.

Support was based on people’s assessed choices and needs. Staff provided information people could understand. People and relatives knew how to give feedback and told us it would be acted on.

Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Effective systems were in place to monitor and improve standards at the service. The service worked in effective partnership with others to secure and promote people's health and wellbeing.

Updated 24 June 2025

People were overwhelmingly positive about the quality of their care. They felt safe and were fully involved in planning their care and understood their rights. People said they received high quality care from knowledgeable staff who treated them as individuals. One person said, “The staff are all very kind.” People and relatives described how staff treated people kindly and made sure any support was carried out sensitively, preserving their privacy and dignity. They also said the service provided lots of interesting activities to keep people physically and mentally active, and we saw people enjoying these when we visited. People knew how to raise concerns and were confident these would be addressed. People and relatives knew staff and leaders well. One relative told us, “Any concerns, I go straight to management and they address them straight away.”