Four years after their last inspection, staff and residents at Brandon Park Nursing Home are ecstatic to have received their third consecutive Outstanding rating from their Care Quality Commission regulators.
With only 5% of care homes receiving this highly prized rating, Brandon Park has yet again bucked the trend; not only seeing the home retain an Outstanding rating, but even seeing it improve further this time round.
Stow Healthcare Director Ruth French said of the news: “To say we are delighted is a complete understatement! Like all other care homes, we have endured a trying three years. Despite all of this, our team has remained focused on what we do best – caring. It was a robust inspection, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The reaction of staff, residents, and relatives has just been lovely to see. One relative told us: “Brandon Park is a very special place for my family, and to hear the latest rating… was I surprised? NO! Of course it is OUTSTANDING. I would have been knocking on the door of Number 10 to complain if not!”
Inspectors rated the home, run by family group Stow Healthcare, as outstanding overall and also outstanding in three of five categories reviewed.
Following the CQC’s two unannounced visits in October, the inspectors said in their report: “There was a strong and visible, person-centered culture at the service. We observed staff were highly motivated, offering care and support that was exceptionally compassionate and kind. This positive culture was because staff had built trusting and positive relationships with people they cared for.”
Home Manager Carol Rhind said of her staff: “Having joined Brandon Park in the summer, I have been delighted to see the passion and commitment shown by my team, across every role in the home. I am proud to lead this home and know we will continue to push for the very highest of standards, ensuring our residents live their lives to the full every day.”
Feedback about the management of the home was noted as continuing “to be outstanding with people at the heart of the service” and staff were complimentary too, describing themselves to be “motivated, proud to work at the service and passionate about the delivery of high-quality care”. Governance of the service by the senior team at Bury St Edmunds-based Stow Healthcare was viewed to be a real strength of the home, with a strong framework of systems for monitoring and managing service quality being evident to inspectors.
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, which represents care providers across the UK said: “Brandon Park is a truly outstanding service and this has been recognised by the Care Quality Commission for an almost unprecedented third time. The success of Brandon Park, and other services provided by Stow Healthcare, has its roots in a positive culture that puts the people who use services at the centre of everything they do. Stow Healthcare has also shown a commitment to supporting, nurturing, and developing the fantastic staff who deliver care and support, and the organisation is focused on delivering continuous improvement and enabling staff to have the resources to deliver outstanding care”.
This success follows hot on the heels of a national award win for the home, seeing its ground-breaking Maple Memory Centre named as the Best Innovation in Care in a recent awards ceremony in Birmingham.
