A RESIDENTIAL home is celebrating after inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) improved its rating to ‘good’.

Sydenham House, which is part of the not-for-profit Somerset Care Group, was given the new grade this month after it was inspected in March and April.

As well as its overall score, inspectors rated it as ‘good’ in four categories measuring how Safe, Caring, Responsive and Well-led it is.

But they said it still ‘requires improvement’ in the Effective category.

At its previous inspection in January 2023, Sydenham House was given an overall ‘requires improvement’ score.

In its fresh report, the CQC said: “This assessment was carried out to check if the service had made improvements following the breaches identified, and warning notices issued, at the last inspection.

“At this assessment, we found improvements had been made and the provider had met the breaches and warning notices.”

The report commends Sydenham's “positive culture”, the “kind and respectful interactions” between colleagues and residents, its “visible and supportive” management team and the “safe, clean and well-equipped environment”.

Residents told the inspection team they are “well looked after” and “treated with respect”.

One said they receive “brilliant care. Best you could ever get”. 

Staff members also spoke positively about the people they support, their work and their management.

The report says staff feel confident to speak up and they will be listened to. Comments described their manager as “brilliant, supportive, professional and understanding”.

Sally Wheaton, registered manager of Sydenham House, has expressed her delight at the report – and explained the team's plans to celebrate.

She said: “Receiving a ‘good’ rating from the CQC is a reflection of the incredible Sydenham House team, who I am so proud to lead.

“The whole team shares a passion for delivering high-quality, person-centred care which puts our residents first, and it means so much to have this officially recognised by our industry regulator.

“This rating belongs to everyone at Sydenham House – every colleague, every resident, every visitor to the home, and the wider community which the home is at the heart of.

“That’s why we’re opening our doors and welcoming the community in for a celebratory garden party on Sunday, June 23.

“We’re inviting people to join guided tours of the home and gardens, meet the brilliant team and our lovely residents, sing and dance to live music, tuck into a tasty buffet, and raise a glass to Sydenham House.

“We look forward to celebrating with you!”

The celebratory garden party will be held at Sydenham House, located on Fredericks Road, between 2pm and 5pm on the eve of Care Home Open Week.

To find out more about attending the event, or to offer support, please call the Sydenham House team on 01278 422763.

Sydenham House also boasts a 9.5/10 score for customer experience on carehome.co.uk, which share independently-verified customer reviews.

To explore the range of individually tailored respite and residential care at Sydenham House in Bridgwater, visit www.somersetcare.co.uk/carehomes/details/sydenham-house or call 0800 8174 990.

To enquire about joining the Sydenham House team, visit careers.somersetcare.co.uk/ for our current job vacancies, or contact our recruitment team on 01823 802 637.