Staff at Westgate care home have been praised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for their kindness and compassion, as well as treating the people with learning disabilities who live there with dignity and respect.
Westgate, in West Bromwich, is a residential care home providing personal care for up to seven people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder.
The service received a “Good” rating for the care it gave to the people it supports, who told the CQC they “always felt safe” and that they “love the staff”.
One resident told the CQC: “I have chats with the manager, and he asks me about what I want and my plan for the future.”
A relative told the CQC: “Staff are very friendly, kind and take time to have conversations. They engage with relatives and residents, especially during Covid.”
Staff encouraged the people supported by the service and their relatives to express their views about care plans, with one person explaining that, when people became restless during a lockdown, they had created a restaurant in the summer house to cheer them up.
The service was commended for how it promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.
The report states: “Staff spoke passionately about their roles and were committed to empowering people and providing the best quality care possible. We heard multiple examples how staff supported people to increase their confidence and independence, many of whom had communication barriers.
“We saw in daily notes that the Registered Manager would go to a room and support a person who did not wish to leave her room due to their insecurities. He was persuasive, but also attuned to the person’s wishes.
“People’s views and preferences about how they wanted their care to be provided were incorporated into person-centred care plans.”
The CQC also noted that accessibility was considered and as well as information being made available in different formats including easy read documents, braille and large print, there was evidence that staff used basic sign language as well as adapting communication techniques to achieve the best results.
Munish Kumar, manager at Westgate, said: “We are delighted to have maintained a ‘Good’ rating from the CQC during this latest inspection.
“I was particularly pleased with how happy the staff, residents and their families were with the care given at the home. Person-centred care is at the heart of everything we do at Westgate.
“We have an excellent culture at Westgate which comes from our staff knowing the people we support very well and treating each other with dignity and mutual respect. I’m very pleased that this was reflected in the CQC’s report.”
John Godden, CEO, said: “This ‘Good’ rating from the CQC is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff at Westgate, who treat the individuals they care for like their own family, providing them with the support they need, at the same time as promoting independent living at the facility.
“This external validation that everyone safe and happy is extremely pleasing and we look forward to a positive future for all.”
