Tilford, our care and nursing home near Farnham has had its Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating upgraded to ‘good’ after a recent inspection.
The CQC inspected the recently-refurbished home in Rushmoor, which cares for up to 50 residents, in July. Inspectors rated the home as ‘Good’ overall and in the four categories of ‘safe’, ‘caring’, ‘responsive’ and ‘well-led’.
The home’s care team was praised for encouraging residents to live their lives as independently as possible. The inspectors described the home as having a happy atmosphere, noting that the home was clean and tidy and that people felt safe living there.
During their visit inspectors found the Tilford team to be caring, respectful and kind. Close bonds between the care team and residents meant there was a good understanding of each resident’s needs.
The inspectors described registered manager Lisa Kirtland as ‘approachable, open and honest’, and concluded that the home was consistently managed and well-led, and that there was good motivation and retention of team members.
Commenting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the home, the inspectors noted that the Tilford team members were wearing the correct PPE and that cleaning schedules had been increased. The care team had made great efforts to keep families updated during the pandemic. They had used video calls to make sure residents were in contact with the people important to them, and had now reintroduced visits, albeit with some restrictions to minimise the risk of infection.
Ms Kirtland said:
‘All of us at Tilford are delighted to get our ‘Good’ rating back – I am so proud of the team. We have worked hard to make improvements and I’m pleased that the CQC has recognised our commitment to providing the best possible care for our residents. COVID has hit everybody hard but we are COVID-free and doing everything we can to maintain that. We’re a great team, working together to make Tilford the care home of choice in Farnham.’