Bosses at a Kesgrave care home have praised the ‘continuous hard work and effort’ of staff after the centre was rated ‘good’ following a watchdog inspection.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Oakwood House, in Stollery Close, in August after the home was placed in special measures and rated ‘inadequate’ in a damning report from last year.

But the CQC’s representatives were delighted to see the changes that had been implemented at the home, which is managed by Cathena Healthcare Ltd, and praised the turnaround it had made in a short space of time.

Inspectors said “significant improvements” had been made between the two inspections and lifted the home out of special measures.

The recently-published CQC report said: “People living in the service were supported in a clean and safe environment.

MORE: MPs call for action in wake of damning ambulance trust inspection report“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.“We received positive feedback from relatives regarding the way care and support was provided to people. We observed mainly caring and respectful interactions between people and staff.“People were supported, as far as possible during the COVID pandemic, to access the local community and engage in meaningful activities.“Since our previous inspection, new audits and quality assurance measures have been put in place. These had resulted in significant improvements to the quality of the service provided.”Oliver O’Connell, care director at Cathena Healthcare, said: “It has been excellent 12 months for the home. They initially had an ‘inadequate’ report with numerous breaches in regulation.“The new manager and the staff have put continuous hard work and effort in to building new processes and structures to promote person-centred care to aid in providing evidence of the compassionate and caring approach that is the fabric of the home.“This has contributed to multiple positive outcomes for the complex residents that live within the home.“The ‘good’ CQC rating is not just the result during the inspection, but a well deserved reflection of all the hard work and effort put in over the last year.“The company is extremely proud of the home and what is has achieved and looks forward to the next chapter in its story.”MORE: Seafront care home slammed over ‘significant’ fire risks and ‘unidentified bruising’