Larkland House care home wins approval of national care inspectors

Home news

Oct 08, 2019

A national care watchdog has given Larkland House care home its seal of approval, with relatives and residents praising its caring and attentive team members.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) report gave Care UK’s Larkland House, on London Road, an overall ‘good’ rating, following an unannounced inspection.

The report highlighted the range of activities available at the care home, and praised the lifestyle coordinator’s creative methods to involve as many residents as possible by focusing on their life stories. For example, the team engaged a former flower expert by implementing various floral activities. Another resident was also taken to the Ascot races, and a trip to the theatre had also been organised.

Inspectors praised Larkland House team members for their person-centred approach, and the level of care they showed to residents. A relative said: “Everyone has been very kind… [My family member] was so well cared for and happy whilst he was [at the home]”. In addition, the report found that residents and their families were always involved in decisions related to care.

The report highlighted that the home’s environment had been specially designed to create a homely feel. For example, bedrooms are decorated to residents’ preference, and feature personal mementos and photos. Inspectors noted that the Larkland House team was also planning on making further improvements for people living with dementia, including personalised bedroom doors, and using music and sensory items to promote a calm and therapeutic environment.

Food is often a central part of care, and inspectors praised Larkland House’s approach to mealtimes. The team offers support during meals by encouraging residents, and presenting them with plated examples of the available options. The quality of the food, and the chef’s effort to keep residents involved, was also noted. One resident said “Chef asks me about food, new ideas”, while another said “ask and they will cook it for you”.

The report also found that residents’ needs were assessed regularly, with some receiving additional one-to-one support. Team members also have ongoing training on an array of topics, including dementia and diabetes awareness, wound care management and clinical skills, to ensure they can meet many of the residents’ specific needs.

Gillian Sampson-Hudson, home manager at Larkland House, said: “We strive to create a welcoming feel at Larkland House, and I’m so pleased our efforts have been recognised by the CQC’s inspectors. Everyone here works incredibly hard to support residents with compassionate, person-centred care, and to be rated ‘good’ shows just how committed the team is to making a positive difference to residents’ lives each and every day.

“I’m extremely proud of our team and I would like to say thank you for their hard work and dedication, which I know is also greatly appreciated by residents and their families.”

To assess service standards at Larkland House, the CQC’s inspectors spoke with team members, residents and their visiting relatives on the day of the inspection. They also reviewed the records and procedures already in place at the care home.

Larkland House has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. 

To find out more about Larkland House, call customer relations manager, Leahanne Wilkinson, on 0333 321 8841, or email leahanne.wilkinson@careuk.com

For more general information, please visit careuk.com/larkland-house