An Ipswich care home is celebrating being rated ‘Good’ following a surprise inspection.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission arrived unannounced at Prince George House in Mansbrook Boulevard on July 5, and were pleased with the friendliness of staff and their procedures to keep residents safe.

When inspectors visited, a new system to help care for people who were non-verbal and diagnosed with dementia was being trialled. The system used facial scanning to identify whether the person was in pain, since they were not able to communicate with staff themselves.

Although this system was in its early stages, the registered manager told inspectors that they had seen a reduction of antipsychotic medicine use from six residents during the first month.

A ‘Twilight Club’ had also been put in place, run by a specialist dementia champion. This club offered activities and assistance in the evenings to those who stayed up later, as well as treats and snacks.

However, inspectors received “very mixed feedback” from relatives as to whether they felt there were enough staff members on duty, and heard an example of one relative struggling to reach the unit by telephone.

A member of staff explained that staffing was a priority and that they had taken steps to have extra workers in the building in the event of staff illness.

Overall, inspectors received positive feedback from people who used the service, relatives and staff.

One relative commented: “The home has a friendly and caring feel, everyone from cleaners to senior staff on my [relative’s] wing clearly know him well, and always acknowledge visitors.”

Another said they were “very happy that [their relative] lives in a very caring home and [they] feel that she is very safe and well looked after.”

Jennie Rodger is the home manager at Prince George House.

She said: ”It is incredibly important to everyone who works at Prince George House that we provide the highest standard of care possible for both residents and their families.

“We work hard to make the home a warm and friendly place, and we’re delighted that this has been reflected by our latest CQC inspection.

”I would like to say a big thank you to the whole team, on behalf of myself, residents and relatives, for their hard-work and dedication to ensuring Prince George House is a wonderful place to call home.”