Atherton Care Village Gains ‘Outstanding’ Rating from CQC
An Atherton care village has received the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) highest rating of ‘outstanding’ following an unannounced inspection. In a complimentary report after the inspection of the state-of-the-art Belong care village in Atherton, Greater Manchester, CQC inspectors judged the service to be ‘outstanding’ in four out of five categories assessed. They described it as “exceptionally caring and responsive” and praised the care village’s leadership.
The result of the inspection makes the care village the only provider offering nursing care for older people in Greater Manchester to be rated ‘outstanding’ and places it amongst only 2% of nursing homes in the country to achieve this rating.
The report commended the overall safety of the service and highlighted the effectiveness of systems in place for managing risk and assessing people’s individual care requirements, as well as the sector-leading dementia care provided. The CQC’s observations were validated by interviews with care village customers and their relatives.
Inspectors praised individuals’ involvement in decisions about all aspects of their care and the varied programme of activities designed to meet people’s personal needs and interests, as well as exceptional efforts to help people achieve their ambitions and lead fulfilling lives. They noted how respecting people’s human rights was a ‘golden thread’ running through all aspects of the service and the emphasis on empowering people to overcome limitations in their mental and physical wellbeing. The care village facilities, which are open to the local community, were mentioned with reference to how the village integrates with the local community and the benefits for residents and visitors alike.
Some of the report’s most enthusiastic praise was reserved for the care village’s management and staff, who it said showed compassion, kindness and a commitment to improving people’s lives and sharing good practice. It said staff are extremely well-supported by management and receive comprehensive training to provide them with the skills knowledge of current best practice. It also commended a culture of continuous improvement and development.
Julie Washington, general manager at Belong Atherton, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have received this rating, which reflects our ongoing efforts to maintain the highest quality standards. Over the past year, we have worked extremely hard to make further improvements and we now join a number of Belong services in the North West that have attained the coveted ‘Outstanding’ rating. It’s a huge testament to all the team here at Belong Atherton and they thoroughly deserve this recognition of the incredible work they do.”
