Wisden Court

Wisden Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 5JD

01438354933

Care Type

Residential Care

Assessment date

15 April 2024

Provider

Runwood Homes Limited

Beds

54 beds

About Wisden Court

Wisden Court is a residential care home in Hertfordshire, providing accommodation and personal care for older people. The findings below set out the CQC's most recent assessment of the service.

Wisden Court is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for older people. This assessment, focused on safety and leadership, found that some improvements had been made to risk management, but inspectors found unexplained injuries that had not been accurately recorded or referred to the local authority as potential safeguarding concerns. This was a breach of regulation, and the safe domain remains rated Requires Improvement.

Staffing levels were sufficient, recruitment was robust, and staff were well trained. The home was well maintained and equipment properly serviced. People said they felt safe, described staff as kind and attentive, and felt confident raising concerns if needed.

Source: CQC assessment, 25 July 2024

Specialist Care

DementiaOlder peoplePhysical disabilitiesSensory impairmentsYounger adults

Facilities & Amenities

Activities ProgrammeDining RoomLaundry Service

Fees and availability

We have not verified a current weekly fee for this home. Ask for a written quote based on the room and care needed, including any extra charges.

Check current vacancies, the admission assessment and visiting arrangements directly with the home.

Care and inspection details

Checked against the CQC register on 21 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.

Registered service: Care home service without nursing
Registered capacity: 54 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · SG1 5JD

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Dementia; Physical disabilities; Sensory impairment.

These describe the registration. The home must assess whether it can meet the individual person's needs and whether a place is available.

CQC ratings in more detail

Overall rating shown by CQC: Good.

Assessment published 25 July 2024. Assessment date recorded: 15 April 2024.

Read CQC's assessment overview

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 25 July 2024. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Wisden Court is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care. This was the first assessment carried out under our single assessment framework. This assessment was unannounced. Assessment activity started on 23 April and ended on 6 June 2024. We visited the service on 23 April 2024. We looked at a total of 15 quality statements, all of which were in the safe and well led key question. At our last inspection (report published 06 February 2020) we found a breach in regulation. At this assessment we found some improvements had been made in relation to risk management. However, we found unexplained injuries that had not been accurately recorded or referred to the local authority as potential safeguarding concerns. This was a breach of regulation, and the service remains rated Requires Improvement in the safe domain. The provider had a system of audit and checks in place. Where these had not identified the lack of oversight regarding unexplained injuries, the regional director took immediate action to investigate where shortfalls had occurred, took remedial action and implemented measures to prevent reoccurrence. Risk assessments were routinely completed and reviewed for all aspects of people’s care. Where we observed people receiving care, which was not in line with their assessed needs, the registered manager took immediate action once informed. Staffing levels were sufficient and people’s needs were met in a timely manner. Robust recruitment practices were followed, and staff received a range of training to support them in their roles. We observed all areas of the service to be well maintained, with equipment in use routinely serviced to ensure safety. Learning was shared with staff and stakeholders following surveys, events such as complaints and audits. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

Safe: Requires Improvement
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-led: Good

Questions prompted by these ratings

Safe: What changes have been made to medicines, staffing and safeguarding since this rating?

These are questions for your visit, not a claim about conditions today.

Read Wisden Court's CQC record and reports.

Contains Care Quality Commission information under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings and registration details can change after the date checked.

5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit

When visiting Wisden Court, consider asking...

1.What specific dementia training do staff receive and how recently?
2.How do you support a resident who becomes distressed or confused?
3.How does the home keep a record of a resident's life history and personal preferences?
4.How do you involve families as dementia progresses and communication becomes harder?
5.What happens when a resident's dementia reaches an advanced stage?

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit Wisden Court, look out for...

1.Is the environment calm, uncluttered and easy to navigate?
2.Do staff speak to residents with patience and dignity, even if they repeat themselves?
3.Are there memory cues around the home -- photos, familiar objects, clear signage?
4.Do residents seem settled and safe, or agitated and unsupervised?
5.Is there meaningful activity happening, or are residents just sitting quietly with nothing to do?

Could the NHS fund Wisden Court's fees?

The average nursing home costs £1,535 per week. That's £79,820 a year. NHS Continuing Healthcare could cover all of it. No means test, no contribution from you.

Find out if the NHS could fund these fees