A West Bromwich Extra Care court for people over the age of 55 has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection this month.
Oakley Gardens on Dial Lane, operated by Housing 21, is now in the country’s small percentage of care facilities for older people to be considered ‘Outstanding’ by the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.
The Extra Care court is now Housing 21’s fifth CQC rated ‘Outstanding’ service. The organisation also achieved its first two in the West Midlands.
Oakley Gardens is one of Housing 21’s Extra Care Living courts, which provides private and secure apartments with access to on-site care for those who need it. The court has a dedicated Housing and Care Manager and an on-site care team which is available 24/7.
The inspection considers five key questions; ‘is the service safe?’, ‘is the service effective?’, ‘is the service caring?’, ‘is the service responsive?’ and ‘is the service well-led?’ The report shows Oakley Gardens to be ‘Outstanding’ overall, highlighting the court’s strengths in effectiveness, care, responsiveness and leadership.
An inspector from the CQC said: “People received outstanding care and support by a dedicated staff team that were committed, passionate and knowledgeable.
“People and their relatives were highly complementary about the care provided. They told us they experienced exceptionally good care which had positive impacts on their well-being and happiness. People described staff as exceptional friendly and supportive of them.
“Staff demonstrated strong caring values which were embedded in the service. There were many examples of compassionate care with staff using their own time to ensure people’s well-being.”
Stuart Lackenby, Director of Adult Social Care for Sandwell Council, said: “We are delighted to have Oakley Gardens become the first Extra Care Housing Scheme to be rated ‘Outstanding’ in Sandwell. This result demonstrates our commitment to commission services that make a real difference to the people of Sandwell. This is an excellent result for Housing 21, and it is a credit to the management and staff team on site and to our continuing close partnership working. Well done to everyone involved.”
Nadine McCann, Housing and Care Manager at Oakley Gardens said: “I am so proud of my team at Oakley Gardens. Everyone works so hard to ensure the people who live here have the best experience. The comments made by staff, customers and stakeholders are amazing and are a testimony to the dedication and hard work of the whole staff team. To achieve Outstanding in 4 domains is unbelievable and we cannot wait to celebrate.”
Kris Peach, Director of Extra Care at Housing 21 said: “We are all incredibly happy to see Oakley Gardens awarded the ‘Outstanding’ grading with the CQC. This is a phenomenal achievement and Oakley Gardens has now become the first Housing 21 service to achieve four out of five areas graded ‘Outstanding’.
“Congratulations to Nadine and the whole team, you are all amazing!”
