A CARE home in Newport has been praised by a team of inspectors for its “positive and friendly” environment in its latest Care Inspectorate Wales report.

Renee Court at Abbeyfield House in Newport has ensured its patients are “happy” and “at ease” with the support they receive at the home, according to inspectors.

People are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of activities with evidence provided that these are diligently planned throughout the year.

Many patients seem to be most comfortable when spending time in the more “communal and quieter spaces” and are determined to be active in the setting of their personal wellbeing goals “with the support of their primary nurses” with a frequent review to ensure they are kept up to date.

However, one area that the inspectors feel needs work is the guidance of the care plans provided to staff, which sometimes lacks consistency and robustness.

Relationships between the staff, patients and their families are well supported and maintained throughout the home.

Something that has notably improved since the last inspection in March 2022 is the appointment of a new manager, of whom people “speak highly”. Inspectors have commended the changes that are being made at the care home by the manager, which have started to improve the “quality of the service”.

Staff feel they are given plenty of opportunities to develop within their working lives, but inspectors found that “some aspects of recruitment and support and supervision do not meet the regulatory requirements”. They say that although there is not immediate improvement required, it is something the home is expected to look at and have noticeably improved by the next inspection.

There has also been praise singled out for the home’s efforts towards “promoting the use of the Welsh language and culture” with its patients and staff.

As a result of the care and attention provided towards patients, inspectors have deemed that “there are enough care and nursing staff on duty to support people effectively”.

There are three main areas deemed as requiring improvement for Renee Court.

These are: preparing individual plans that set out each patient’s required care and support needs on a regular basis and ensuring these are met, management ensuring that anyone employed receives the appropriate supervision and appraisal and that all required records are kept for all employees.

If you wish to read the full report, it can be found on the Care Inspectorate Wales website.