Crossroads Care Kent – The Oast received a Good rating across all five key questions at its first comprehensive inspection in March 2016, demonstrating safe, well-staffed, person-centred care with strong leadership. No regulatory breaches or failure themes were identified; the service was characterised by consistent carer relationships, robust governance, and a highly engaged, well-supported workforce.
Strengths
· Consistent, long-term staff matching ensured people and relatives built trusted, sustained relationships with the same carer each week.
· Robust safeguarding knowledge among staff, with clear escalation routes including external agencies, and board-level monitoring every two months.
· Safe recruitment practices including DBS checks, employment history verification, and reference checks prior to commencement.
· Thorough individual risk assessments balanced safety with maintaining people's independence and dignity.
· Effective induction including a 'work shadow buddy' system pairing new starters with experienced, skilled colleagues.
Quality-Statement breakdown (17)
safe: Safeguarding people from abuseGood
safe: Risk assessment and managementGood
safe: Staffing levels and consistencyGood
safe: Safe recruitment practicesGood
safe: Medicines managementGood
effective: Induction and trainingGood
effective: Supervision and appraisalGood
effective: Mental Capacity Act understanding and applicationGood
caring: Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
caring: Consistent relationships and staff matchingGood
caring: Privacy, dignity and confidentialityGood
responsive: Person-centred assessment and care planningGood
responsive: Complaints handling and learningGood
responsive: Flexibility and responsiveness to changing needsGood
well-led: Leadership and organisational cultureGood
Crossroads Care Kent was rated Good across all five key questions at its March 2019 inspection, demonstrating safe, person-centred care with strong community engagement and effective governance. Three areas for improvement were identified relating to incomplete collection of protected characteristics data, accessible information standards, and the registered manager's awareness of Equality Act obligations.
Concerns (3)
minorCultural competency: “Records showed staff were not always asking people about their sexuality, which is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.”
minorCommunication with families: “the records were presented in a way which was not suitable for people with, for example, dementia or those with poor eyesight. The font was small and staff had not taken any steps to present information to people in another format”
minorGovernance: “the registered manager was not fully aware of their responsibility to be making sure they met the needs of all protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. They were also not fully aware about their responsibility to meet people's communication needs.”
Strengths
· Strong person-centred culture with staff matched to people based on shared interests and personalities
· Safe recruitment practices including DBS checks, full employment history and verified references
· Robust safeguarding training with regular updates and staff confident to escalate concerns externally
· Effective medicines management with regular staff competency checks and audits
· High-quality end-of-life care delivered in partnership with local hospice and district nurses