Shaftesbury Keefield

Livability Keefield is a specialized care home consisting of two bungalows, supporting up to 10 people with learning disabilities and autistic individuals. The recent inspection highlights a warm and inclusive environment where residents are encouraged to build fulfilling everyday routines and maintain their independence. Families share positive feedback about the approachable management team, reliable staffing levels, and the genuine warmth staff show toward residents. While the overall findings reflect strong standards across daily life and administration, inspectors noted a few areas needing attention, such as securing wardrobes to walls, replacing a damaged crash mat, and ensuring internal environmental checks are more thorough.

The service maintains a secure environment with proper risk management in place, including tailored care plans for mobility, choking risks, and travel. Staff receive comprehensive training in safeguarding and know how to protect residents from harm, and background checks on new employees are properly carried out. However, routine monthly checks failed to initially spot that some wardrobes were not fully secured and that a crash mat needed replacement, though management acted immediately to fix these issues.

Care is delivered with a strong focus on individual strengths, ensuring residents have control over their daily choices, such as using photo menus for meals. Medications are handled safely by trained and competent team members, and infection control practices are generally well maintained, keeping the bungalows clean and odour-free despite the minor issue with the damaged crash mat.

Staff build positive, warm relationships with residents and understand how to support them while promoting independence. Relatives report feeling welcomed at any time without restrictions, and residents are actively supported to access local communities and enjoy social activities.

The service operates in full accordance with mental capacity legislation, ensuring that any decisions made on behalf of residents are handled in their best interests and in the least restrictive way possible. Staff use practical communication tools, such as visual aids and communication boards, to help residents express their daily preferences.

Leadership is transparent, supportive, and open to feedback from families, residents, and staff alike. Management engages well with external healthcare professionals like GPs and occupational therapists to ensure continuity of care, and staff benefit from regular training, including specialized courses in learning disability and autism support. While internal audit systems missed a couple of environmental maintenance points, the management team proved exceptionally responsive in addressing these shortcomings right away.