Harleston House praised for excellent care
Harleston House care home in Lowestoft, owned and managed by Greensleeves Care, has been praised as Outstanding by inspectors for “excellent care”.
The staff at Harleston House were noted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as being “extremely compassionate, attentive and caring in their interactions with people” and supported residents to have a “meaningful and enjoyable life”.
Harleston House is among just 3% of almost 15,000 care and nursing homes in the UK that have an ‘outstanding’ rating from the industry’s regulatory body.
The home cares for 39 residents and is one of 24 homes run by the charitable organisation, Greensleeves Care. Harleston House specialises in the care of people with complex needs as a result of living with a dementia. It is the charity’s second care home in the local area, alongside Broadlands residential home in Oulton Broad, to be awarded an Outstanding rating by the care regulator.
The home support residents to pursue their hobbies
The CQC report found that staff encouraged and supported the residents “to pursue their hobbies, participate in a wide range of meaningful activities they chose, enabling them to live as full a life as possible.”
Susan Graham, Home Manager at Harleston House, summarised the philosophy of the service, saying: “Harleston House is a home that prides itself on outstanding care and how we embrace who our residents are and what they want now as much as what they did and who they were.”
One resident told the inspectors: “I adore all the staff and the manager. This is a wonderful place and I feel so lucky and proud to call it home. They [staff] appreciate us all. They don’t treat us the same but recognise the differences that make us the human beings we are.”
Exceptional high standard of care
The CQC inspectors visited Harleston House unannounced on the 12th November 2018 and found that residents, relatives and professionals “spoke of the exceptional high standard of care provided by the service.”
The report highlighted that residents were “at the heart of the service; receiving outstanding care that was personalized to them, taking account of their individual needs and wishes” while staff were praised for being “diligent, thoughtful and caring in their practice.”
The home is ‘Eden Alternative’ accredited, a way of providing care that puts people at the centre of decision-making about the way they want to live their lives. Greensleeves Care is introducing this philosophy across all its homes.
Care Quality Commission inspectors rated Harleston House on five key areas with an overall rating of ‘outstanding’. The home received Outstanding rating in three categories: Caring, Responsive and Well-led.
“My life is so much better” – says resident
One resident said during the inspection: “I was lonely and depressed when I first came here. I had given up. I was painfully shy and scared. I had forgotten how to mix with people. They [staff] brought me out of my shell, spending time with me helping me to settle in and to make friends. My life is so much better. I look forward to each day and what it brings. My only regret is I should have moved sooner.”
Susan Graham, Home Manager at Harleston House, said: “I am delighted that Harleston House was officially recognised for the outstanding care it delivers with an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating. What the team and I are especially proud of is that we retained our Outstanding rating in Caring category since the last inspection in 2016.”
Visit Harleston House web page for more information about the care home.
