Chichester care home upgraded to ‘outstanding’ by CQC
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded the rating of a Chichester care home from ‘good to outstanding’ following an inspection in June.
Cornelius House, run by Cornelius House Limited, is a residential care home for older people in Fishbourne Road West.
There were 15 people living there at the time of the inspection, which CQC carried out as part of its continual monitoring of health and social care services.
CQC has upgraded ‘well-led’ from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’. Caring was re-rated ‘outstanding’. ‘Safe’, ‘responsive’ and ‘effective’ were again rated good.
Amy Jupp, CQC’s deputy director for adult social care in West Sussex, said: “When we visited Cornelius House, we found an exceptional care home where people were treated with kindness and dignity and where they considered the staff team to be their friends.
“People and their relatives were consistently positive about the caring nature of staff and spoke of their obvious commitment to people’s wellbeing. One relative told us staff had been gentle and encouraging with their family member during an emotionally difficult time and this had helped them to re-engage with social activities.
“In another example, we saw staff use a soft tone of voice and gentle hand-to-hand touch to offer support to someone who experienced anxiety. This was exactly the approach detailed in their care plan and it meant their interactions with staff were calm and predictable and their anxiety was proactively managed.
“Leaders ensured everyone at Cornelius House was valued as an individual with their own strengths and preferences and the care they received reflected that. For example, one person who found accepting personal care difficult, preferred staff to use soft toys to communicate with them during these times. Leaders ensured all staff took this approach, and this had made personal care easier for them, to the point where they no longer required medication to reduce their anxiety.
“The person-centred care that shone through at Conelius House was underpinned by a management team that understood the needs of people living there and had created a culture where staff were supported to provide them with quality care that met those needs.
“Everyone at Cornelius House should feel proud of this outstanding rating, which reflects the caring and genuinely person-centred care they were providing. Other care home leaders can look to this report to see what outstanding looks like in a care home setting.”