The social care secretary has singled out a nursing home in his Suffolk constituency as an example for others to follow after it scooped a top inspectors’ rating for the second time.
The Care Quality Commission CQC awarded Stow Healthcare’s Brandon Park Nursing Home, which is owned by farming family the Catchpoles, an ‘outstanding’ rating.
Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock said it was a “fantastic” achievement. “We need more of these caring and compassionate facilities so that older people can get the best care possible in their later years,” he said.
Inspectors rated the home outstanding overall and also outstanding in two of five categories reviewed.
“There was an exceptionally strong family ethos within the home of treating people as individuals and with respect,” said inspectors.
“People were at the forefront of their care and were supported by staff who were extremely kind and caring.”
Staff were “outstandingly responsive to their needs and preferences”, according to its residents, and care was “inclusive and driven by them”.
The home has around 45 residents and more than 70 staff, with Mrs Sam Gallagher as registered manager. She was singled out for particular praise by the report, with inspectors describing her as “an extremely strong and knowledgeable manager who was also highly visible across the home”. She said she was “delighted”, and said her team was “inspirational”.
Operations director Ruth French said: “Our home manager leads with true passion and love for her residents and leads a team that has been rightly recognised for the compassionate and respectful care that they provide to our residents every day.”
The home has been selected as a national finalist for the Care Team of the Year.
Managing director Roger Catchpole said: “I founded Stow Healthcare with my family just over eight years ago. In that time, we have taken on five homes, all of which had troubled pasts, and all of which we have improved beyond measure, with two homes rated ‘outstanding’. For Brandon Park to achieve the ‘outstanding’ rating for a second time, sees it stay in a very exclusive club of quality homes, which we are very proud to belong to.”
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