Lancashire care home rated 'outstanding' filled with music and laughter

Longfield Residential Home in Blackburn has been rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, with inspectors saying ‘the home was filled with laughter and music and staff interacted with people in a caring and respectful manner’.

The home which cares for up to 24 older people with dementia and mental health conditions received the top rating, which has so far only been achieved by three per cent of care providers in England.

Staff regularly went the ‘extra mile’ to provide residents with person-centred care, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the report said: ‘We observed how one person's face lit up with joy when they saw a staff member with whom they had a particular connection come into the room’.

Joanne McHugh, manager of the home, said: “I am delighted with the outcome of our recent CQC inspection and would like to pay tribute to every member of staff, who bring dedication, love and laughter to work with them every day.

“My team continues to push itself to continuously improve in order to offer the best possible standard of care to our wonderful residents. Every day is a new challenge and brings new opportunities to excel. I feel my team goes above and beyond in their care of our residents.”

Inspectors found staff were encouraged to ‘put themselves in the shoes of the people they supported; the aim of this was to help ensure staff always treated people with the utmost dignity and respect. Staff and relatives told us this training had made a positive difference to the care people received’.

They added that ‘without exception, staff told us Longfield was an excellent place to work’.

To boost safety and independence in the home, the staff have painted people's walking frames and handrails in bright colours to make them stand out.

They have also introduced a number of initiatives to encourage people to eat. This included the introduction of a 24-hour snack service and several food related activities including 'Mocktail Monday', 'Fizzy Friday' and food tasting events.

In addition, the team of chefs in the home have developed a 'Care dine with me' concept, enabling residents to invite their relatives or friends over to dinner.

Residents at the home are encouraged to help staff do tasks to help promote their sense of well-being. One resident told inspectors ‘I sometimes do filing for the manager. I used to work in an office so I enjoy doing this’.

In terms of end of life care, residents are supported to have a comfortable, dignified and pain free end of life. Staff have completed training in end of life care.

‘These included a book which was placed in the room of any person who was receiving end of life care and support; this contained a stated commitment to providing high quality personalised care which included massage therapy if they so wished and the dedicated attention of a keyworker on each shift. Poems and prayers reflecting different faiths were also included for people to read and share as well as information about bereavement counselling support available,’ said the report.

The registered manager had also purchased a guest bed and toiletries for the comfort of relatives who wished to stay overnight with their family member when they were receiving end of life care.

Rajan Jairath, the home’s director said he was “overwhelmed” with the rating, adding: “Outstanding is the only way that I would describe my entire team, they continue to embrace our vision and strategy while we have looked to bring a positive change to the market with new ideas.

Director, Karan Jairath, called the rating “a testament to the hard work and drive of our entire team who always thrive to provide the very highest standards of care for our residents”.