Hythe care home celebrates national award win and ‘good’ rating from inspectors

 

A national care watchdog has given a Hythe care home its seal of approval, with inspectors commending the home’s ‘fun and inclusive environment’.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) awarded Care UK’s Carpathia Grange, on Southampton Road, received an overall ‘good’ rating following its latest inspection of the home – with an ‘outstanding’ rating in the ‘caring’ category.

The focused inspection evaluated the home across several key areas, including safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership – with caring being recognised as ‘outstanding’ and all other areas as ‘good’. The result reflects the hard work of the team members, who strive to maintain the highest standards in all aspects of care.

The report spotlighted the positive sentiments expressed by residents, relatives and visiting professionals toward the home and its team members, with one resident informing the inspectors that the home has a “great atmosphere and the staff are excellent.” 

Relatives of residents spoke positively about team members knowing people well and understanding their individual needs. One relative described their relation as being settled at the home, saying: “My family and I are just delighted to see mum so happy, comfortable and so well cared for at Carpathia Grange. There is such a lovely welcome from every member of staff when you come.”

Inspectors noted a wide-ranging programme of events and activities at Carpathia Grange, including special events tailored to individual wishes and interests. They also highlighted the home’s holistic approach, which ensures that all residents, at whatever stage of life, can find fulfilment. This includes tailored namaste sessions for those living with advanced dementia. Run by trained carers, this is a sensory therapy which includes hand and foot massages and other gentle movements, music therapy and reminiscing. 

The CQC report reads: ‘Relatives and staff spoke enthusiastically about the Namaste care programme introduced to support people living with dementia, saying it had improved people’s wellbeing, reduced restlessness and increased engagement.’

Adding to the CQC success, the home was recently awarded the Great Dementia Care award at this year’s Care UK Stars Awards – recognising its person-centred approach to dementia care that improves residents’ quality of life. 

The Star Awards spotlight individual and team excellence at more than 150 homes nationwide, across Care UK’s Residential Care Services division. 

Pooja Dhoot, Home Manager at Carpathia Grange, said: “We’ve been working towards this for so long, as we wanted to be known as leaders in dementia care. To get this award recognising our efforts, along with praise from the CQC inspectors, feels amazing.”

Along with the home’s standout dementia care, the CQC report highlighted that there were enough suitable team members to care for residents safely and that they responded in a timely way. One resident added: “We are all spoiled here. Everything is very good and I feel very comfortable.”

Inspectors were impressed by how well information and feedback was shared effectively with residents living at the home, their relatives, the team and external partners. Team members were also praised for supporting residents with kindness, dignity and respect at all times.

Home manager, Pooja, added: “Everyone has contributed to making Carpathia Grange an unparalleled place to live and work, and this rating stands as a testament to everyone’s dedication to brightening 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’m so proud of the team, who work so hard to make residents’ lives enjoyable and fulfilling. It’s always great to hear such positive feedback from relatives and residents. It really means a lot. I look forward to celebrating this achievement with the team and continuing to build on our success in delivering exceptional care.

Carpathia Grange is a three-storey care home which provides residential, dementia and nursing care. The home features 62 en-suite bedrooms and has been designed to enable its residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.