The Care Quality Commission has rated The Close Care Home in Abingdon Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire as Outstanding following an inspection in October 2019.
Inspectors rated the service Outstanding for being safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. The overall rating was Outstanding.
The Close Care Home is a care home providing care for up to 90 people with a range of conditions
Rebecca Bauers, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care for the South, said:
“We initially rated The Close Care Home “Inadequate” in January 2015 and since then they have been on a journey of improvement. The team have taken to heart the content of our inspection reports and built on them – not just in those areas where improvements were required, but in their stronger areas too.
“We found the management and staff at The Close Care Home committed to providing outstanding care to the people living at the service. People were supported and encouraged to have choice, independence and control in a range of aspects of their lives. The team working there led by the registered manager should be extremely proud of the work they do.
“What really impressed me in reading the inspection report and speaking with those involved in the inspection about this service was the level of personalised support that people received, from staff who had the right skills and who treated people with kindness, compassion and dignity. People told us they liked the staff who supported them, and staff themselves declared it a great place to work.
“People should always be cared for by services that are safe, effective, caring, responsive to their needs, and well led. I would encourage other providers to read this report to see what they can learn.”
Some of the key findings from the inspection include:
People were empowered to take maximum control of their lives. For example, one person expressed the need to be involved in the domestic jobs within the home. The staff team worked with this person to ensure the person could carry out the domestic tasks they wanted to and when they wanted to. The person was given their own uniform for when they worked with staff.
Since previous inspections the service had introduced 'Butterfly Time' which involved the team spending time with people to ensure a consistent focus was maintained on people being treated and valued as individuals. This approach allowed more freedom and helped people to express their views so that staff and managers understood people’s experiences, preferences, wishes and choices.
The home excelled at supporting people to participate in a wide range of activities that were important and relevant to their needs. One person had enjoyed fishing before moving to The Close, so staff arranged for them to fish in the river at the bottom of the grounds. Activities were inclusive regardless of peoples psychological and physical needs. Activities included boat trips, garden centre visits, visits to a local crocodile sanctuary, 'Cuppa and cake' afternoons, gin club. Following the success of one activity where people could meet and discuss food with the chef and to continue to follow their interest in food. The provider made adaptions to the kitchen so people regardless of their health and ongoing conditions could still bake and cook homemade meals if they wished to.
The full inspection report can be found at: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-108733608
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