Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) made a special visit to Vida Hall in Starbeck this month, to join in with the celebrations for Care Home Open Day.
Vida was recognised as an ‘Outstanding’ service by the Care Quality Commission in 2014 – the highest rating ever given to a specialist dementia facility at the time and the first care home in the northern region to have achieved this level under the new, more rigorous CQC inspection criteria.
Andrea, who likes to visit as many care homes as she can on Care Home Open Day, was keen to come and visit the home, to talk to residents, their families and staff, and find out what makes Vida Hall such a fantastic place to live and work.
Following her visit, Andrea said, “At the CQC we have been criticised that we have not rated enough homes as outstanding. From visiting Vida Hall, I can definitely say that there is a clear difference between your service and others I have visited. A short visit cannot really do you justice but perhaps the most telling thing was the atmosphere; calm, with enough staff not to be hurried and such a clear focus on the people living at Vida Hall and their families. It was a real privilege to spend time with you.”
Bernadette Mossman, Healthcare Director said, “We’re incredibly proud of the team at Vida Hall and the outstanding care they provide every day. It was a pleasure to welcome Andrea and show her what makes our home so special.”