Hard work pays off for "good" Wigan care home

Haighfield Care Home in Swinley was judged “good” in all five areas inspected by the watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The achievement comes just over 12 months after its leadership and safety was judged to require improvement, mainly due to issues with safeguarding and not following local procedures.

However, on its latest visit the CQC was able to state the Wigan Road venue was well-led and there were no problems with the safety of people living there.

Delighted deputy manager Helen Ryan said: “I would like to thank all the staff at Haighfield for their hard work and dedication, their loyalty and commitment and most of all for creating a happy and caring home.

“Without all their hard work this rating could not have been achieved.

“I am so proud to work with this great team and feel it is about time that care homes were recognised for the care given. Caring is not only a job, it is who we are.”

The successful CQC visit comes hard on the heels of Haighfield also achieving five-star ratings from Wigan Council for food standards and infection control.

The CQC pronounced itself impressed with the venue, a purpose-built home on four floors which had 28 residents at the time, and spoke of how it had made improvements where these had previously been pointed out.

The inspectors said: “People received safe care which met their needs. Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew how to identify and report any concerns.

“The home was clean, odour free with effective cleaning and infection control processes in place.

“The home was well-led and managed. People, their relatives and staff spoke positively about the manager and deputy manager, who were reported to be friendly, approachable and willing to listen.”

Residents told inspectors the staff were “kind, caring and treated them with dignity and respect”, with employees taking the time to get to know those they looked after and remember their likes and disliked.

Care plans set out individual preferences and were reviewed regularly to reflect changing needs or wishes, the CQC concluded.

The complaints procedure was effective but rarely used, the inspectors also found.

Staff had appropriate training, ongoing supervision and support, including going on courses so end-of-life care could be provided at Haighfield if residents wanted to stay there in their final days.

The CQC says it will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the current standards remain in place.