The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by Fonthill House care home, St Albans, to be Outstanding overall following an inspection carried out in March.
Fonthill Care Limited runs the service which provides nursing and palliative care for up to 64 older people. At the time of CQC’s inspection 57 people were living at the home.
Inspectors found that people were at the heart of the service and saw examples of how the home had improved the quality of people’s lives. Staff were caring and compassionate and people were 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/1-727649541
Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all adult social care services are given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Fonthill House was rated Outstanding overall, Outstanding for being responsive and well-led and Good for being safe, effective and caring.
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 Fonthill House.
“People told inspectors they felt safe and secure and were central to everything at the home. Care and support plans were reviewed regularly in consultation with the individuals concerned and, where needed, family members to ensure the service continued to meet their changing needs.
“There were plenty of staff available to meet people's care needs at all times and they provided support based on people’s individual needs and preferences.
“People living at the home, and their relatives, told inspectors they felt they could raise concerns and said they were confident concerns would be resolved without delay, if they did.
“Staff at the home were competent and knowledgeable about people's health and care needs and treated those in their care with dignity and respect. The privacy and confidentiality of those using the service was maintained at all times, they were offered a wide range of innovative activities and were supported to pursue hobbies. The service had established excellent links within the local community.
“The people we spoke to were positive and complimentary about the service and they said management and staff consistently strived to improve the quality of lives of everyone who passed through the home’s doors. “
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.”
Ends
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Find out more
Read reports from our checks on the standards at Fonthill House