Chichester care receive a 'good' rating' from national inspectors

A national care watchdog has given a care home in Chichester its seal of approval, with relatives and residents praising the caring and attentive team members. 

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) report, which regulates all health and social care services in England, gave Care UK’s Chichester Grange, on Grosvenor Road, an overall ‘good’ rating following an unannounced inspection. 

The care home received the ‘good’ rating in all five categories, which includes safety, effectiveness, care, being responsive and well-led.  

The report noted that the residents, their relatives and visiting professionals were all complimentary about the home, its team members and its management. Residents told the inspectors that they felt well looked after, that the team supported them, and the home environment felt safe. One resident said: “I'm so lucky to be here. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. There are no pressures, and they look after me so well."

The report also highlighted that residents and their relatives were involved in planning their care. This includes creating life story books, which outline past careers, hobbies and wishes for the future, so the team can learn more about the residents. 

The activity schedule was planned around resident's hobbies, and they were consulted on exactly what they wanted to do. Inspectors were particularly impressed with the Wishing Tree initiative, which was launched by Care UK and encourages residents to suggest ideas for new hobbies they’d like to try, places they’d like to visit or even activities linked to past careers. The team work incredibly hard to grant wishes, which recently included helping 84-year-old resident Ernie Puffett to retake his Physics GCSE. 

The report also praised the leadership of the home, with comments from team members highlighting the positive culture and outcomes, both for residents and team members, created by the Home Manager, Ryan Harris. One relative said: “The manager is approachable, we asked about getting pictures put up in [resident's] room and it was done the next day.”

The inspector’s saw that residents were supported to eat and drink according to their wishes, tastes and health conditions. One resident said: "The food is just fabulous I love it, it's healthy... you get to choose between two different types of meals I wouldn't eat anything that I don't like, but I do like the food here." A relative added, "[Resident] is eating three meals a day and hadn't done that in a while, there's good variety, they are not forced to eat what is on the menu, there are alternatives. My relative looks healthier."

They also note that the home has won a national award for 'care home design of the year,' with the shared spaces, including a café, pub, cinema and activity rooms, well used throughout the inspection. The garden has also been designed with consideration for resident’s ease of access. A relative commented, "All in all, it's a lovely place there are lovely gardens it's nice clean and the staff are really nice."

Ryan Harris, Home Manager at Chichester Grange, said: “Everyone has put in a lot of hard work to ensure we offer a home-from-home to all the residents and their families and the whole team are really proud of their achievements. 

“Every resident is unique, so why shouldn’t their care plan be? We take pride in providing high-quality person-centered care, allowing residents to live happy lives in a warm, peaceful environment designed to encourage independence and support individuals who live at the home.

“I want to thank the team for their hard work, which I know is appreciated by the residents and their families. It is certainly a pleasure to come to work every day and be a part of such a wonderful team. I’m looking forward to celebrating this result with the residents and the team and building on our success in the future.” 

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives while also promoting independence, Chichester Grange, incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. Luxury facilities includes a café, hair and beauty salon, cinema and bar, and stunning gardens. The home was recently awarded the ‘Care Home Design of the Year’ at the Leaders in Care Awards 2022. 

For more information, please call Customer Relations Manager, Caroline Thomas, on 0330 058 3250, email caroline.thomas@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/chichester-grange