The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by Seckford AlmsHouses to be Outstanding overall following an inspection carried out in March.
Seckford AlmsHouses is registered as a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people who live in Seckford Almshouses in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The service provides sheltered accommodation and support to people who live in their own flats within the building. On the day of inspection there were 27 people using the service.
Inspectors found staff were caring and compassionate and people were being provided with safe, responsive, caring, effective and well-led care. A full report of the inspection has been published on CQC’s website: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-122343204
Under CQC’s new programme of inspections, all adult social care services are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Seckford Almshouses was rated Outstanding overall, Outstanding for being caring and well-led and Good for being safe and effective and responsive.
Jemima Burnage, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the central region said:
“We were impressed with what we found during our inspection of Seckford Almshouses and inspectors were struck by how caring staff were to those using the service.
“Our observations showed extremely compassionate carers who consistently demonstrated empathy, understanding and warmth in their interactions with people. Staff had an enhanced knowledge of the people they cared for.
“The service ensured that people had tailored and inclusive methods of communication. For example, lip reading sessions and hearing aid clinics had been set up.
“Feedback from people and their relatives was extremely positive and throughout the inspection we saw how the senior management encouraged and embedded best practice. This approach meant staff were highly motivated and committed to providing an exceptional standard of care.
“Robust quality assurance systems were used to drive continual improvement. This included researching and testing approaches which might benefit people's well-being. The service placed high significance on people's experience by seeking feedback which was valued and acted on.
“All of this meant people received a high standard of care, which is why it has been rated Outstanding.”
Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said:
“The quality of care which our inspectors found here was exceptional and I am very pleased that we can celebrate the service’s achievements.
“An outstanding service is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.”
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Find out more
Read reports from our checks on the standards at Seckford AlmsHouses