Six out of nine under-performing care homes in Ipswich have seen their Care Quality Commission inspection ratings improve in the past year.
BUPA’s Anglesea Heights and Monmouth Court Nursing Homes and Leafoak Limited’s Beechlawn Residential Home have seen a boost to their ratings – going from inadequate to requires improvement.
Royal Mencap Society’s Lombard Park, Sue Ryder - The Chantry and Thurleston Residential Home have also seen a rise in their ratings, going from requires improvement to good.
The news means that all of the care homes in Ipswich that were rated inadequate last year have improved, and 21 have maintained their 2016 rating.
Last year, Monmouth Court, in Monmouth Close, was placed in special measures with a ban imposed on accepting new residents.
However, their upgraded rating has meant they have been able to reopen admissions.
Rebecca Watkins, general manager, said the progress was down to her dedicated team of staff.
She said: “We have been accepting new admissions since the end of February after over a year of no admissions.
“I think they have seen significant progress in every area of the care home.
“You will never go from inadequate to outstanding but they saw a big improvement.
“We have improved staff training and developed the home across the board.
“We are absolutely thrilled.”
Andy Yacoub, chief executive of Healthwatch Suffolk, said: “Healthwatch Suffolk is pleased to note that improvements in care provision have been achieved in the county and this can only be positive for residents and their families.
“We undertake visits to local services to talk to service users and make observations about the quality of care provided.
“Some of these visits have been to services that are noted as requiring improvements and we have been encouraged by the progress that these homes have made to improving their standard of care.
“We encourage residents and their friends or family members to keep us informed about their experiences so that we can continue to use the feedback to shape, influence and improve care in the county.”
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