Norwich care home praised by industry inspector
A care home based in Newton Flotman near Norwich has been rated as ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following an inspection into the quality of service it provides. Olive House, which is part of the Healthcare Homes group, was inspected in March and has now received this positive grading.
The CQC is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. It makes sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care.
Inspectors visited Olive House in an unannounced visit and spent time speaking with staff, residents, the relatives of residents and the registered manager. They looked to determine whether the service delivered at the home was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. They provided detailed ratings on all these areas which contributed to the overall grade.
The report particularly highlighted how caring the staff are and the level of attention they provide to each and every resident. It states, “Staff were thoughtful and delivered individualised care. They organised a candlelit meal for one person and their spouse who was invited to this at the home, which made them feel special. One staff member said, "I treat the people like I would treat my own parents."
The team strives to create an enjoyable, relaxed environment for residents, many of whom live with dementia, and ensure that residents’ families are involved in the planning of their care. They also ensure that a variety of activities and entertainment are available throughout the week, work which was praised by the inspectors. The report notes the range of activities on offer and the efforts made to involve local community groups such as organised visits from local school children and lunches at the local church. It says, “[A] relative we spoke with said that the activities had impacted their relative's life positively, and that they had noticed the difference as their relative wished to be involved in all the activities.”
The comments made by inspectors are reflected in the numerous reviews posted by residents and relatives on the independent carehome.co.uk website, where the home is currently rated as 9.7 out of 10. One relative of a resident commented “A lovely, happy, clean home, very friendly staff. The staff are all at ease with the residents who were themselves happy and relaxed.”
Another said, “Olive House is providing my mother with a very happy experience; the home is excellent, the staff are efficient, friendly, warm, caring and courteous. Whenever I visit I find my mother relaxed, smiling, well cared for, and I feel welcome in the home always.”
Manager of Olive House, Lesley Eastoll said: “The whole team at Olive House are extremely pleased to have received this positive grading.
“Feedback such as this is so important in ensuring that we are providing care of the highest possible standard for our residents. Our priority at all time is to ensure they are happy, healthy and comfortable and it is wonderful to see that this is the case from the feedback they give us and the comments made by inspectors. We will now look at all of the detail provided in the report to ensure that the entire service we provide is the best that it can be.”
The full inspection report can be viewed at www.cqc.org.uk. For more information on Olive House, call 01508 471718 or visit www.healthcarehomes.co.uk. Olive House is based on Olive Avenue in Newton Flotman and provides residential care for up to 45 residents, many of whom live with dementia.