Kingston Vale care home earns praise from national inspectors

 

A national care watchdog has given a Kingston Vale care home its seal of approval, with relatives and residents commending the home’s dedicated team. 

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) awarded Care UK’s Sherwood Grange, on Robin Hood Lane, an overall ‘good’ rating following an unannounced inspection. 

The comprehensive assessment evaluated the home across several key areas, including safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness, and leadership – with all areas receiving a ‘good’ rating. 

The report spotlighted the positive sentiments expressed each day by residents, relatives, and visiting professionals toward the home and its team members. One resident’s relative told inspectors: “[Relative] appears less able or interested in making decisions for herself so the assistance and guidance provided is really important. [Relative] is treated as an individual not as just another resident."

Inspectors noted that residents received kind and compassionate care from the team who knew them well and were supported in line with their individual needs. One resident said: “They are a very nice crowd and endlessly patient. The team are kind and thoughtful and always do their best.” Another added: “They know exactly what I need and how I like things done. Our past lives are respected, and interests are known.”

The inspectors also commended the home for treating residents as individuals, highlighting how every member of the Sherwood Grange team understands each resident’s abilities, preferences and communication needs. Examples of this included the team using simple language and shorter sentences to help support residents’ understanding. 

One team member added: “Residents give us signs for what they like or dislike. We work with them for a long time and we know them; if they can’t talk, we read their body language.” 

This personalised approach to care is also reflected in the home’s interior, where residents are able to personalise their rooms as they wish. Relatives told inspectors: “I have been allowed and encouraged to decorate and furnish [relative's] room to make her environment as close to her own home as possible. This is something that is very important both to me and I'm sure my [relative]."

The report also credited the team for giving residents control over how they’d like to spend their day. A range of activities are frequently offered including arts and craft workshops, exercise classes, or outings to popular places of interest, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kew Gardens, and river trips along the Thames. 

Judges also praised how the home works in collaboration with healthcare professionals, including a local community tissue viability nurse, GPs, psychiatrists and dieticians. A healthcare professional told inspectors: "The service is really good…they know the patients really well. They give good handovers and I don't have to go back for the same thing. They've never not done something that I have asked them to do.”

Judges went on to praise the leadership of the home, which they highlighted as “capable and compassionate”, while maintaining a focus on continuous improvement and developing services. The inspectors also noted that the team were empowered in their roles and encouraged to take on additional responsibilities in line with their skill set and training, which has contributed to a “positive culture” among team members. 

Kristina Jacunskiene, Home Manager for Sherwood Grange, said: “Everyone has played a part in making Sherwood Grange an exceptional place to live and work, and this rating stands as a testament to our collective dedication to enhancing each residents’ day. 

“Our commitment to delivering high-quality care is unwavering, and we are proud to see this endorsement from the CQC. We believe that every resident deserves the best possible care and support, and this rating validates our ongoing efforts to meet and exceed these standards.

“I look forward to celebrating this achievement with the team and residents, as we continue to build on our success in delivering exceptional care.”

Sherwood Grange has been designed to encourage residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while remaining as independent as possible in a safe environment. The state-of-the-art care home features a cinema and a hair salon, and incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room, to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.