The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded the rating of Langdale House in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, from good to outstanding following an inspection from 12 November to 11 December.
Langdale House, run by Isand Limited (part of Cygnet Social Care), is a residential care home which provides personal care to up to ten people with a learning disability.
The inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s continual checks on the safety and quality of adult social care services.
CQC has improved the rating from good to outstanding for how caring and responsive the service is. Safe and effective have been re-rated as good. Well-led was not looked at during this inspection and remains rated as good.
Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:
"When we inspected Langdale House, we found a service that truly puts people at the heart of everything it does. Leaders have created an open culture, where staff feel valued and supported to deliver outstanding care to people.
"It was great to hear such overwhelmingly positive feedback. One relative told us their loved one regards Langdale House as home and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Another person living at the home told us they had nothing bad to say about it and were really happy living there.
"Our inspectors found that staff had a deep understanding of each person's unique preferences and really went the extra mile to ensure their needs were met. For example, leaders recruited staff who spoke the same language as someone whose first language wasn’t English, so they'd always have someone to talk to in their first language.
"We also saw staff helping people live full lives and as independently as possible. Someone really wanted to visit a theme park, so staff carried out risk assessments and took them to several parks which they loved. Another person made remarkable progress in carrying out daily chores, such as preparing meals and washing up, after receiving incredible support from staff.
“Leaders and staff at Langdale House should be delighted with the findings of our report, which reflects their dedication and the excellent care they’re providing to people.”
Inspectors found:
- Staff knew people so well that they recognised when someone was unwell even when they couldn't say so themselves. This prevented them from further harm due to early intervention.
- The service supported people to improve their skills by doing gardening and working in a bakery. People received money for this which made them feel valued.
- Leaders didn't use agency staff and had a low turnover of staff, which meant that people received consistent care from familiar faces.
- The service ensured that all bedrooms were highly personalised, with people supported to keep pets and regularly update their rooms.
- Leaders made sure people had detailed end-of-life plans created in easy-read formats, giving them control over any future decisions.
- Staff supported people through difficult times, including helping them attend family funerals and access grief counselling when needed.