Inspectors label Longfield residential home in Blackburn 'outstanding'

CQC inspectors visited Longfield care home at Preston New Road in Blackburn last month.

Longfield provides accommodation and personal care for up to 24 older people.

The service specialises in providing care for people living with a dementia.

There were 20 people using the service at the time of this inspection.

The report states: “At the last inspection in July 2016, the service was rated as good.

“At this inspection, the rating has improved to outstanding; this was due to the excellent way in which the service was led and the commitment from staff to deliver high quality, compassionate care.

“People received care which recognised their individual differences and respected their right to be treated with dignity and respect. Feedback from relatives was extremely positive.

“They told us staff regularly went the 'extra mile' to provide their family members with person-centred care and to ensure people felt they mattered to them.

“Our observations throughout the inspection, showed the home was filled with laughter and music and that staff interacted with people in a caring and respectful manner.”

Manager Joanne McHugh said: "I am delighted with the outcome of our recent CQC inspection and would like to pay tribute to every member of staff, who bring dedication, love and laughter to work with them every day.

"We have been able to build on our successful inspection for our sister home, Hollymount, which received “outstanding” for care last year.

"My team continues to push itself to continuously improve in order to offer the best possible standard of care to our wonderful residents.

"Every day is a new challenge and brings new opportunities to excel. I feel my team goes above and beyond in their care of our residents.

"Longfield is also in receipt of a gold star award for our kitchen and holds enhanced status from Blackburn with Darwen Quality Assurance."

The report adds: "People living in the home told us they felt safe and staff treated them well.

"Appropriate recruitment procedures were followed to ensure prospective staff were suitable to work in the home.

"There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people's needs and ensure their safety.

"The registered manager regularly reviewed people's level of dependency to help ensure there were sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs and ensure their safety.

"Staff had received training in the protection of adults and knew what action they should take if they suspected or witnessed abuse.

"They told us they would not hesitate to use the whistleblowing (reporting

poor practice) procedure should this be necessary, although they had never had any reason to do so.

"People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency checked.

"People were cared for in a safe, clean and dementia friendly environment."