Garden House

Who the service is for

The service provides residential care and support for older people.

Key findings

We carried out this assessment on 23 October 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.

People were receiving an exceptionally caring service which had consistently exceeded their expectations. People were at the heart of Garden House, receiving personalised care and support that respected their individuality and focused on meeting their needs to the highest standard.

People were supported by staff who knew them well, and many of the staff working in the home had long service. They told us they were a family. Risks to people’s wellbeing and safety had been assessed and staff worked to ensure people remained well. Safe recruitment processes meant staff had received training to enable them to carry out their role. Staff told us they could rely on their colleagues and there was good teamwork. Medicines were managed safely and checks meant people received them as prescribed. The environment was homely and well maintained. Lessons were learnt from events that occurred within the service and learning was shared with the staff team. Staff knew how to raise concerns around safeguarding, how to speak up and keep people safe.

People’s needs had been assessed, and care plans were person-centred and reviewed regularly. People were given choices and options about how they wished to spend their day. The provider’s electronic care planning system was used to measure people’s general health and wellbeing this included monitor their weight, fluid intake and skin integrity.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the MCA. People living at Garden House were not subject to DoLS and they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.

Staff were kind and caring and they told us they could rely on each other for support. Staff promoted people’s independence and told us this was to ensure people lived as well as they could for as long as possible. People’s medical and health needs were well managed and there were continuous communications with external professionals.

People’s care was person-centred, and we received positive feedback about the standard of care at Garden House. The registered manager worked closely and effectively with many external health and social care professionals who were positive about their working relationships.

Effective governance systems supported the smooth running of the service. Audits and quality assurance processes enabled the registered manager to identify shortfalls and take action to address them and prevent recurrence.

The registered manager worked well in partnership with others and was respected by staff and external professionals. A professional told us, “People are well cared for, the registered manager is lovely, so approachable.”