Runcorn care home receives high praise by regulator the CQC

HIGH PRAISE has been heaped on a Runcorn care home following an unannounced visit by regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors spoke to more than a dozen residents and their relatives during their visit to Simonsfield Care Home, on Boston Avenue, who all provided “extremely positive” feedback.

Comments included staff were “very caring” and “respectful”, the food is “always good” and there are “plenty of activities” – even fulfilling one resident’s “dream of becoming an actress”.

The home received an overall rating of “Good” in their inspection report, with the same rating across all five key assessment areas.

These include: “is the service safe?”, “is the service effective?”, “is the service caring?”, “is the service responsive?”, “is the service well-led?”.

The report stated: “Staff were very kind and caring.

“One person told us, “The staff are very caring especially at night” and relatives shared their comments stating, “They are respectful and understand my relative’s needs” and “Not a care home, it’s a home with care.”

“People told us they enjoyed the activities on offer and made various positive comments such as, “There are plenty of activities” and “We go for trips out, I’ve been to Wales and Blackpool.”

“We observed a group activity session for exercise and noted this was a lively, sociable occasion. People were smiling and positively engaging with everyone in the group.

“Staff had also organised a trip out to a local tea dance in the community and a trip to the dementia café local to the service. People living at Simonsfield told us they enjoyed these activities, one person loved to dance and really looked forward to this event.

“They had arranged for one person to fulfil their dream of becoming an actress in “The Wizard of OZ” with a local event at the service where people got dressed up in character.”

“People had access to a choice of meals and drinks that they told us they enjoyed. They told us, “The food here is always good” and “There’s always a choice, I can have whatever I like.””

The home manager at Simonsfield Care Home, Debbie Smith, also received high praise in the inspection report, being described as “highly motivated” and inspiring to the staff.

Inspectors wrote: “The registered manager led by example and inspired the staff to strive for the best possible outcomes for the people they supported.

“There was a lot of feedback from people at the service and their relatives who were all extremely positive about Simonsfield, especially about the registered manager.

“They had piloted a new way of supporting people with dementia at night by trialling the use of “nursing scrubs outfits” that replicated the style of pyjamas. Data collated showed a positive impact to people in reducing the number of falls on the dementia unit. Staff felt the initiative helped people to have focus with day and nights and helped them to orientate to their nighttime routines.”

The inspection report also cited the home’s internally collected feedback given by residents and their relatives. It said: “The recent results of surveys for 2018/19 identified extremely positive feedback.

“Some of the results stated, 100% of respondents would recommend the home. 100% rated the admission process as good or excellent. 100% rated the team in the home as good or excellent. 100% stated that staff maintained service users’ dignity at all times. The results reflected the overall positive views shared with us during this inspection.”

In response to the report, Debbie said: “We are delighted to receive a Good rating in our latest CQC inspection report.

“The staff work incredibly hard to provide a safe and caring environment for those who reside with us and this is reflected in the inspectors’ findings as well as the positive feedback from our residents and their relatives.”