Outstanding London care home which welcomes pets praised for 'extending' resident's life

A care home in the London borough of Bexley, rated ‘outstanding’ by the care watchdog, has been praised by a relative for ‘extending’ a resident’s life.

Groveland Park Care Home in Bexleyheath has raised its standards, improving its previous inspection rating from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’.

The care home is registered to provide care for up to 55 older adults and at the time of the inspection there were 55 people living at the home.

The Care Quality Commission found the leadership at the care home was exceptional and distinctive and said leaders and the service culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

In addition, its report revealed that staff across the care home cooperated to provide a high standard of care, with housekeepers assisting people to join in with activities, and the maintenance team making boards to help people who wanted to do jigsaw puzzles. People are able to bring their pets to live with them at the home if it has been assessed as safe to do so.

A relative credited the care home with prolonging one of the resident’s lives, saying: “My family member would not be with us if it were not for the care she receives at the home. It has extended her life.” Another relative said "We looked at 20 homes and this one was leaps and bounds above anything we had ever seen. This place has the atmosphere of a boutique hotel, the standard of care is excellent."

A resident also sang the praises of Groveland Park saying: “I am 101 and still as fit as a fiddle thanks to the care at the home. This is a place of sanctuary to me.” Another resident said: "On my 100th birthday. I had a helicopter ride; the home invited the Mayor and local MP came to have a drink and wish me a happy birthday. The general secretary of my old union came too."

Residents at the home are encouraged to get involved with the running of the home. This has led to one resident becoming a guide to people who have just moved into the home and one helping the laundry staff with folding clothes.

The home was awarded a Caring at its Best Award from the local authority in 2018. Inspectors also noted that the home had been awarded a place in carehome.co.uk’s top 20 care homes for the London area for the sixth year running.

Debbie Ivanova, CQC’s deputy chief inspector of adult social care, said: “I am pleased to be able to congratulate everybody linked to The Groveland Park Care Home, in achieving an 'outstanding' rating, an improvement from the previous rating of 'good' overall."

According to inspectors, staff hold the management team in high regard and are complimentary about the leadership and support they receive. One staff member told them "I am absolutely on cloud nine since I started working here. We are all on the same page. There is fantastic team work. The seniors are really encouraging, the care is fantastic, and the manager is willing to sit down and talk to you."

End of life care was found to be of a very high standard, with staff receiving palliative care training. When a resident is at the end of their life, their family is offered a room in the home to stay in if they wish. They also hold a memorial service for people at the home and do a full debrief with staff following a death to understand if they could have done anything better.

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