The Grove care home in Walthamstow, north-east London, has been rated Outstanding overall by the Care Quality Commission.
The Grove has been rated Outstanding for being responsive and well-led. It was rated Good for being safe, effective and caring, following the unannounced inspection in June 2018.
The service, which is run by Connifinn Limited, provides care for up to eight adults with mental health needs. Seven people were using the service at the time of the inspection.
The registered manager had strong links with the community and told inspectors about one initiative called ‘Better together’. The local authority were approached and agreed to let residents use its bowling green facility. Residents and staff play bowls, people drop in for a cup of tea and to play cards and take part in The Grove’s art and newspaper sessions.
The service provided volunteering opportunities to people with an interest in mental health - and records confirmed this. The registered manager explained: "We have three volunteers at the moment, two are second year psychology students. They all have an interest in mental health and they usually volunteer once a week. I provide them with supervision and they will receive teaching sessions from me and on-going training on an ad-hoc basis, and a reference."
Management ensured that people were engaged and involved in the running of the service and this was demonstrated by offering people the opportunity to take part in the interview process of potential new staff members.
People who used the service spoke positively about management. One person said: "The manager is cool." Another person said: "Both the manager and the deputy manager are approachable." A third person explained: "The manager, to be honest, is very good." A fourth person said: "The staff work well together. They are strong."
Feedback from professionals from the most recent survey in December 2017 was very positive. One health professional stated: “This is an excellent and caring service.” Another health professional said it was: “An excellent care provider.”
The service was exceptionally responsive and used innovative ways to ensure that it was providing care that was tailored to meet people's needs. The service encouraged and supported people to develop and maintain relationships with people who mattered to them both within the service and the wider community to avoid social isolation. A support worker explained: "Every year we all go to the registered manager's house for Christmas dinner, including the residents. The guys here never had a family Christmas and we've been going to the registered manager's home (for Christmas) for 10 years."
As well as Christmas celebrations, the service also held parties for Halloween and hosted a fancy dress party at the home where the registered manager's family also attended. Photographs from Halloween parties showed people enjoying the festivities.
The service went the extra mile to find out what people had done in the past by way of hobbies and were proactive and innovative in supporting people with their interests. One person's care plan stated that they were artistic and enjoyed painting and that they had done this historically and whilst in hospital. This hobby was encouraged by staff and the person's art work was displayed around the home. In addition, they were supported in having their work displayed at a local art show. This meant the service was proactive and innovative in supporting people to follow their interests and take part in activities that were relevant and appropriate to them, including in the wider community.
Deborah Ivanova, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said:
“The Grove is providing its residents with Outstanding care and I was extremely impressed with the inspection report, which highlighted the work of staff going the extra mile in a number of areas.”
Ends
For further information please contact Ray Cooling, Regional Engagement Manager (London), on 020 7448 9136 or call the press office on 020 7448 9401 during office
Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here.
Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters. For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.
The Grove is providing its residents with Outstanding care
Deborah Ivanova, Deputy Chief Inspector, Adult Social Care