Care home in special measures upgraded to good

A Herefordshire care home that was placed in special measures has had its rating upgraded to "good".

It follows inspections of The Garth Care Home in June and July, with "significant" improvements noted.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the summer visits were made after concerns were identified during an inspection in November.

The care home was previously rated inadequate for breaching standards related to person-centred care, safe care and management.

Improvements since that time, however, meant the site was no longer in breach of regulation, and could be moved from special measures, the CQC said.

Run by Wentworth Care Ltd, the residential care home provides nursing and personal care to older adults with support needs and dementia. Sixteen people were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

Amanda Lyndon, CQC's deputy director of adult social care in the West Midlands, said the operation had "transformed" since the last visit.

"We found staff kept people safe and well cared for, while understanding and respecting their individual needs and preferences," she said.

"It was clear there had been a change in culture, as staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns and were confident they'd be listened to, which wasn't the case before."

She added that families found the home calm and reassuring, with an improvement in atmosphere "beyond recognition".

But there was still some issues to address, with water temperatures in parts of the home too hot.

Lyndon added: "The Garth Care Home with Nursing should be proud of what it's achieved and shows what's possible when services commit to making improvements for the benefit of the people they support. We look forward to seeing the home keep building on this progress."

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