A care home in London with nursing care described as ‘second to none’ has been given an ‘outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following its first inspection.
Inspectors said the Loveday Kensington care home – which supports older people, those with physical health conditions and people with dementia – ensured its residents’ health and wellbeing ‘were a priority’.
As well as Loveday Kensington’s overall rating of ‘outstanding’, its ratings for how well-led, caring, responsive and effective were also ‘outstanding’, and ‘good’ for how safe, according to a report published last month.
During a visit to the home, which opened last year, the health watchdog saw how people living there were supported to have ‘maximum choice and control of their lives’, and that staff supported residents in the ‘least restrictive way possible and in their best interests’.
In addition, the CQC praised the systems in place which helped to ensure risks to people’s health were assessed before moving in and highlighted how staff had completed a robust induction and training programme when they started.
Staff also had access to specialist training module’s related to people’s specific conditions, including specialist training for nurses in end-of-life care.
Inspectors added that the care home’s staff had an ‘excellent understanding of when people needed emotional support and were able to provide this in a compassionate and sensitive manner that displayed true empathy’.
Within its report, the CQC highlighted feedback from a relative who said: ‘They are nursed so well here, the nursing care is second to none and they are fantastic.
‘We want [family member] to stay here, amongst people who love them and to be with them in their final hours. We are very confident with this.’
Meanwhile, one individual who had recently stayed during a period of respite due to surgery ‘praised the caring nature of the support that enabled their recovery back home’.
They said: ‘The kindness and care shown by all the nurses and carers couldn’t have been better. They comforted me when I was feeling most dreadful, cheered me during the days and sustained me over this difficult period.’
In addition, the CQC recognised the provider’s ‘commitment to investment and innovation across the service to ensure high standards of care and support for staff’.
It said this included the ‘home environment, staffing levels and resources to ensure people received a personalised first class service’.
Turon Karim, CQC deputy director of operations in London, said: ‘People we spoke to were overwhelmingly positive about the exceptional levels of care and support they got from staff and managers.
‘Loveday Kensington ensured people’s health and wellbeing were a priority, with one person saying they’d had a personal trainer and physio to get them walking again and were now attending regular exercise classes.
‘Another relative told us how their family member had gone into the home unable to do things for themselves, but was now able to drink on their own, cut up food and their mobility was getting better.’
