Howard Lodge Care Centre in Brentwood, Essex, a residential home providing personal and nursing care for older people, some of whom may be living with dementia, was rated outstanding for being safe, caring and effective following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), 28 October 2019.
It achieved the score of good for the responsive and well-led categories.
The CQC report highlighted that to empower people to have choice and control, a wishing tree had been introduced which was displayed in the communal hallway. Residents were encouraged to identify things they would like to do, no matter how big or small. The wishes were placed on the tree, with a date added when their wished had been granted.
One person loved Arsenal football team, so the service arranged for tickets to see a match. CQC inspectors saw a thank you letter from the resident, "Thank you for the generous outing to Arsenal and for the gifts, please accept my thanks for a great day out."
The provider had invested considerable time and resources into ensuring people enjoyed living at the service and were provided with opportunities to live full and varied lives with a sense of purpose. A person told us, "Everybody is happy here; you won't find a better place than this."
Since the last inspection the service continued to innovate and drive improvements which meant outcomes for people had continued to grow and strengthen. The quality of staff training, introduction of the wishing tree, the focus on providing excellent support around end of life care and considerable investment in the design and adaptation of the building had all contributed to improving people's quality of life.
