Residents and staff at a care home in Felixstowe had good reason to celebrate this week after it received an outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - one of only 94 homes in the UK to achieve the status.

White Gables residential care home, in Stanley Road, had an unannounced visit from CQC inspectors on January 26 who praised staff for being “outstanding and extremely compassionate carers who consistently demonstrated empathy, understanding and warmth”.

The home was rated as good for being safe, effective and responsive and outstanding for being caring and well-led, leading to the overall outstanding rating.

Only 94 of all 17,000 CQC-run homes have an outstanding rating.

A report compiled by inspectors said: “Staff understood the importance of gaining people’s consent to the care they were providing to enable people to be cared for in the way they wished.

“People were consistently treated with outstanding kindness, respect and compassion.”

At the time of the inspection there were 37 people living at the home, which has been owned by Clifford and Jackie Lewis for the past 15 years.

Home manager Alison Hudson said: “We are absolutely delighted. The staff have worked so hard and it’s just lovely that it’s recognised. Given how very few homes in the country have it (an outstanding rating) we are just absolutely thrilled.

“The staff are amazing. They are so appreciated for all their hard work and their love for the residents.”