Care home now good after improvements, says CQC

A care home rated inadequate and placed in special measures has been reinspected and upgraded to good by a health watchdog.

St George's Court Care Home in Cambridge was inspected in 2023 and told by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors it must improve the safety and care of its clients, staff knowledge and management.

Following a further inspection in spring last year, CQC said the home was no longer in breach of regulations and raised its overall rating to good.

Jayne Wardell, St George's Court home manager, said: "We have focused on listening, learning and doing things better every day, and it is wonderful to see this recognised."

The home provides personal and nursing care for up to 76 older people.

Now rating the home as good in all five categories - safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led - Hazel Roberts, CQC's deputy director of adult social care in the East of England, said: "Everyone working at St George's Court should be proud of the changes they've made for their residents."

She said: "When we inspected St George's Court Care Home, we were pleased to find significant improvements to people's care, which was now consistently person-centred, respectful and kind.

"People living in the home told us they felt safe and happy with their care, and felt comfortable raising any concerns or ideas about it."

Roberts said inspectors found staff at the home knew their clients well and involved them in planning their own care needs.

"Staff used this knowledge to tailor people's care, such as by playing music when supporting one person to help them feel more comfortable [and] worked with another person's family to provide an instrument that had been important in their life as a teacher," Roberts said.

New activities including gardening and wildlife projects had been introduced and she said the home's leaders "ensured staff had the skills and support to meet people's needs".

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