Outstanding Bognor care home is ‘like a family’

A care home for people with mental health conditions has been praised for its ‘exceptional’ care, compassion and relaxed environment.
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Pippa Solan, owner, centre back, and the team at Albany House delighted with their Outstanding Ofsted rating.ks190128-1 SUS-191203-195522008ks190128-1 Albany House Bognor  phot kate
Pippa Solan, owner, centre back, and the team at Albany House delighted with their Outstanding Ofsted rating.ks190128-1 SUS-191203-195522008
ks190128-1 Albany House Bognor phot kate Pippa Solan, owner, centre back, and the team at Albany House delighted with their Outstanding Ofsted rating.ks190128-1 SUS-191203-195522008

A recent inspection of Albany House in Stocker Road, Bognor Regis, rated the service ‘outstanding’ overall, with especial note for its caring, responsive and well-led care of people with needs such as schizophrenia, bi-polar, dementia and depression.

A report, published on March 5, noted comments from residents saying they felt safe and that the home ‘was like family’.

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It read: “People received outstanding care from a dedicated staff team who were very kind, caring and compassionate, and who demonstrated they would go the extra mile for people when necessary.

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Team leader at Albany House, Lily Hill serving Gina Piazza lunch.ks190128-3 SUS-191203-195452008ks190128-3 Albany House Bognor  phot kate
Team leader at Albany House, Lily Hill serving Gina Piazza lunch.ks190128-3 SUS-191203-195452008
ks190128-3 Albany House Bognor phot kate Team leader at Albany House, Lily Hill serving Gina Piazza lunch.ks190128-3 SUS-191203-195452008

“Staff had built very strong relationships with people. All staff demonstrated kindness for people through their conversations, interactions and observations.”

Care home manager Sara Hornsey said she was particularly proud of the quality of relationship between staff and residents.

She said: “The staff take time and sit with the residents and they never walk past a resident without acknowledging them.

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“I take all these things for granted because I see them day in day out.

“I don’t think of ‘person centred care’, I don’t think there should be a word for treating people uniquely because it should just be done and that’s what we do but I don’t think I realised how well we do it.

“It was lovely for that to be noticed, the love that’s there between the staff and the residents, it’s a family, we call it the Albany family and that’s what it is.”

She said the ethos of the home was to allow residents to live well, go on holiday, go out when they wanted and be supported, particularly as some residents were in their 30s or 40s.

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She said the CQC inspector had said it was ‘homes like this that make me want to get back into hands on care’, and it was ‘wonderful’ to be given the top rating as a small, state-funded home.

“We’re not a massive home and I think some of the homes that get outstanding are big, rich homes and we’re not. They’ve done it because of the care and that’s down to the staff – and the residents because they put in so much effort for the staff, it’s a real team effort.”