County Durham home wins seal of approval from national care watchdog

Home news

Nov 13, 2015

Care UK’s Ventress Hall care home in County Durham has been given the seal of approval by a national care watchdog.

At a visit by the Care Quality Commission, inspectors found that the home in Darlington meets the Government’s five standards of quality and safety which are:

•    Treating people with respect and involving them in their care

•    Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs

•    Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm

•    Staffing

•    Quality and suitability of management

During their visit to the home, which provides specialist care for older people, some of whom have dementia, the inspectors talked informally to the team and examined the home’s administrative systems and processes.

Home Manager Judy Wray said: “I am delighted that we reached the high standard set out by the Government and CQC and I was even more delighted that the inspectors highlighted how the team works to respect people's dignity and independence.”

The inspectors noted that staff felt supported and had regular and productive meetings with their line manager. Staff were kept up to date with their mandatory training and had completed training that was relevant to the service.

The inspectors also commented that there were positive interactions between people and staff. They saw that residents were supported by staff who respected their privacy, were attentive, showed compassion, and were encouraging and caring.

Judy said: “Everyone at Ventress Hall, including the kitchen and maintenance teams, strives to ensure that we create genuinely individual care for each resident.

“To do that, we ensure we get to know each person, their history and their interests, so that we can tailor each care plan to maintain their independence, life skills and sense of wellbeing.”