Outstanding’ nursing home in Ascot praised for ‘passion for care’
A nursing home in Ascot has been praised as “outstanding” by inspectors for its high quality of care and support.
The managers of St David’s Nursing home on Priory Road were noted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to have “great passion” for the service they provided. The CQC report stated how residents and families felt staff “go the extra mile” when supporting them and how residents felt they “really mattered to staff”.
The 39-bed home, set in the grounds of Ascot Priory, has been run by local family, the Tanners, for more than 30 years. It has been awarded the highest accolade by the Care Quality Commission, the national body for regulating care homes, each time it has been inspected.
The daughter of one resident said “there isn’t a better care home in the country my dad could be in.”
In their report, inspectors noted staff were “highly motivated to provide care with much kindness and consideration” and had “an excellent understanding of and motivation to meet people’s social and care needs”. Their report said staff were “constantly finding creative and innovative ways to ensure people lived their lives to the full.”
Owner and manager, Fidelma Tinneny, said: “We’re delighted to have received an outstanding rating. It’s a recognition of the staff’s hard work, their skills and their attitude towards helping our residents to live as well as they can.
“Residents trust them and so do their families, who may be upset about their loved one’s situation but we never want them to be upset about their care. We want to know even if their glasses need cleaning as that can really impact on their quality of life.
“But it doesn’t mean we feel we are by any means perfect. We don’t feel we know it all and we will always try our best. Every day is a new learning experience.”
Raymond Moore came to St David’s at the age of 80 when his progressing Alzheimer’s meant he couldn’t be cared for at home. His daughter, Sandra Farrell, said staff have re-ignited his love of music.
“There are a couple of staff who Dad really relates to. They have understood his love of music and they know that if they put a radio in the bathroom he’s happy to have a bath. They’ve also encouraged him to take up the piano again and his playing often kicks off impromptu sing-songs!
“We know we can visit him at any time and the staff are wonderful.”
Care Quality Commission inspectors, who visited the home in August 2016, noted “interactions observed between staff and people living at the service were provided with the greatest respect and friendliness”. Staff were praised for making it possible for residents to “maintain links with the community” and “engage in a wide range of meaningful activities”.
Residents told inspectors they “really enjoyed keeping busy because it made them feel as if they were at home”.
Jenny Nicholls’ father, Geoffrey Creber is 93 and has lived at St David’s for three years.
“We could feel straight away what a calm and caring place this is,” she said. “He is really happy here. He’s lived in the area for 20 years but he’s seen far more of it since he moved into St David’s!
“The care is so personalised. They know he’s still interested in science after having taught it in school for many years, and they’ve taken him to the Science Museum in London. They also made it possible for him to see the art exhibition my brother was holding in London and that meant a great deal to him.”
The CQC rated St David’s on five key areas. Being caring and being responsive were marked as “outstanding” and it was deemed “good” at being safe, effective and well-led, giving the home an overall rating of “outstanding”. According to figures from the CQC, less than 1% of care and nursing homes in the UK currently have an outstanding rating.
Manager, Gill Gwyther, was praised for “monitoring the quality of care consistently” and inspectors also noted that the service “encouraged feedback from people and families, which they used to make improvements where necessary”. They commented that the home was “a place where people felt included and consulted”.
The report said “people’s choices were always respected by attentive and understanding staff,” and that “it was paramount to the service to ensure people's wellbeing was respected and protected”.
Sandra Farrell said her dad, Raymond Moore, feels it is like a “beautiful big house” rather than a nursing home.
“I still get upset when I visit him because of his Alzheimer’s but I truly believe there isn’t a better care home in the country he could be in.”
About St David’s
St David’s in Ascot provides dignified nursing care for up to 39 residents. Established in 1979, St David's and St Christopher's Nursing and Residential Homes have been run by the Tanner family for over 30 years.
Care has been delivered in the same building since the 1860’s. The buildings were purpose built for care in 1862 by Dr Pusey, and were staffed by Sisters of the Holy Trinity who had worked alongside Florence Nightingale at the Crimean War.
St David’s and St Christopher’s are set within the 40 acres of stunning grounds at Ascot Priory in North Ascot, Berkshire.
For more information visit www.ascotresidentialhomes.co.uk
To read The CQC report on St David’s Nursing home go here: