Hailsham care home earns praise and ‘good’ rating from national inspectors

 

A national care watchdog has given a Hailsham care home its seal of approval, with inspectors commending the home’s ‘cheerful, friendly atmosphere’.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) awarded Care UK’s Bowes House, on Battle Road, an overall ‘good’ rating following its latest inspection of the home. 

The comprehensive inspection evaluated the home across several key areas, including safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness, and leadership – with all areas receiving a ‘good’ rating. The result reflects the hard work of the team members striving to maintain the highest standards in all aspects of care.

The report spotlighted the positive sentiments expressed by residents, relatives and visiting professionals toward the home and its team members, with one resident informing the inspectors that the home has “very kind and caring staff”.

Inspectors noted residents’ needs and preferences are included in holistic, detailed care plans which are personalised and support positive outcomes for those with diverse requirements. 

Relatives of residents spoke positively about team members knowing people well and understanding their individual needs. One relative described their relation as being happy at the home, saying: “They do a lot of work with his walking and they inform me of the progress. I think he is very safe.”

It was highlighted that there were enough suitable team members to care for residents safely and that they responded in a timely way. One resident added: “I feel very safe and secure, staff check on you all the time and we are quite happy.” 

The report highlighted that residents are offered choice in all aspects of their daily life. One resident said: “Choices in activities include exercises, skittles, soft ball, quizzes and music, outside entertainers and animals like sheep, lambs, rabbits, dogs, chickens and spiders have visited. We have an activities board we can access and make suggestions.”

The inspectors were impressed by how well information was shared effectively with residents living at the home, their relatives, the team and external partners. This included hosting regular meetings with opportunities to raise any questions concerning the care and support of relatives and any new developments in the running of the home.

Colleagues were also highlighted for supporting residents with kindness, dignity and respect at all times. The report reads: “There was a cheerful, friendly atmosphere in the service and we saw people were being encouraged by staff to remain as independent as possible.”

Natasha King, Supporting Home Manager at Bowes House, said: “Everyone has contributed to making Bowes House an unparalleled place to live and work, and this rating stands as a testament to everyone’s dedication to brightening each residents’ day. 

“Our commitment to delivering high-quality care is unwavering, and we are proud to see this endorsement from the CQC. We believe that every resident deserves the best possible care and support, and this rating validates our ongoing efforts to meet and exceed these standards.

“I’m so proud of the team, who work so hard to make residents’ lives enjoyable and fulfilling. It’s always great to hear such positive feedback from relatives and residents. It really means a lot.

“I look forward to celebrating this achievement with the team and continuing to build on our success in delivering exceptional care.”

Bowes House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own café, cinema and hair salon and there is plenty of space, both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation. The home has a comprehensive activity programme, offering a mix of themed events and group activities both inside and outside of the home.