Hammersmith care home celebrates award nomination and ‘good’ rating from inspectors

A national care watchdog has given a Hammersmith care home its seal of approval, with inspectors commending the home’s ‘proactive and encouraging’ environment. 

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) awarded Care UK’s St Vincent’s House, on Queen Caroline Street, an overall ‘good’ rating following its latest inspection of the home.

The focused inspection evaluated the home across several key areas, including safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership – with all areas being recognised as ‘good’. The result reflects the hard work of the team members, who strive to maintain the highest standards in all aspects of care.

The report spotlighted the positive sentiments expressed by residents, relatives and visiting professionals toward the home and its team members, with one resident informing the inspectors that the home has “amazing staff, so committed to care and very accommodating.”

Relatives of residents spoke positively about team members knowing people well and understanding their individual needs. One relative described their relation as being settled at the home, saying: “I can leave here and feel comfortable they are in safe hands.”

Inspectors highlighted team members’ knowledge of residents’ preferences, wishes and life experiences, and how they incorporated this information into providing the best possible care they could, in a way people enjoyed.

The CQC report reads: ‘Staff supported people to have choice, control and make decisions about how their support was provided, and to maintain the best quality of life. This promoted their independence, confidence and minimised social isolation. People and their relatives told us staff provided care and support in a friendly way, paying attention to small details that made all the difference. People said staff cared about them, were compassionate, enthusiastic about the work they did and people they cared for and supported.”

Adding to the CQC success, the home was recently shortlisted for the Diversity and Dementia award at this year’s Dementia Care Awards – recognising the home’s equality and diversity incentives, teams and services that have been developed and implemented to support those affected by dementia.

The winner will be announced at a special awards ceremony on Thursday, 19th June. 

Kerry Reyes, Home Manager at St Vincent’s House, said: “We’ve been working towards this for so long, as we wanted to be known as leaders in dementia care. To be shortlisted for this award recognising our efforts, along with praise from the CQC inspectors, feels amazing.

 “Everyone has contributed to making St Vincent’s House an unparalleled place to live and work, and the ‘good’ rating stands as a testament to everyone’s dedication to brightening each residents’ day. 

“Our commitment to delivering high-quality care is unwavering, and we are proud to see this endorsement from the CQC. We believe that every resident deserves the best possible care and support, and this rating validates our ongoing efforts to meet and exceed these standards.

“I’m so proud of the team, who work so hard to make residents’ lives enjoyable and fulfilling. It’s always great to hear such positive feedback from relatives and residents – it really means a lot. I look forward to celebrating this achievement with the team and continuing to build on our success in delivering exceptional care. We also have our fingers crossed for the Dementia Care Awards – winning would really add the cherry to the cake!”

St Vincent’s House is designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, with luxury facilities including a café, hair and beauty salon, cinema, and gardens. The highly experienced team provide full-time dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care.