Montrose Hall care home praised by care regulator

A care home in Wigan has been rated outstanding by inspectors from regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Staff at Anchor’s Montrose Hall in Sherwood Crescent were celebrating this week after receiving top marks from the CQC in four of the five categories.

This is the ninth home run by Anchor which is rated outstanding. Only 572 care homes in England are rated outstanding which is 3% of the care homes across the country.

The home, which cares for up to 41 residents, was inspected in August this year. Care homes are now classed as either outstanding, good, requiring improvement or inadequate.
Montrose Hall Manager Kim Jones said everyone at the home was thrilled because they had worked so hard to maintain high standards of care. 

She said: “We all know Montrose Hall is a great place for older people to live but to be given such praise from the regulator is outstanding.

“We are proud of the care we provide, of the meals which are made from fresh seasonal ingredients and of the wide variety of meaningful activities enjoyed by our residents.

“We welcome such rigorous inspections and clear ratings so older people and their families can see which homes provide top quality care. We’re so pleased to be one of the top care homes in the country.”
The CQC inspection report, which can be found on the regulator’s website, stated that “a huge amount of thought and planning had gone into ensuring the home meets people's needs…the staff and maintenance team had completed all the work on the décor of the home themselves, often doing so in their own time.”

The inspectors praised the manager for being “exceptional”  and creating a culture in the home which “drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care”.

Innovative features in the home were also recognised, such as the sandy beach, beach huts and Punch and Judy box, which were enjoyed by the residents in summer, as well as a mock phone box with a telephone so that a resident with dementia could ‘ring’ home.

Montrose Hall has its own shop, named after a resident who used to own a shop, and is manned by her and other volunteers so that residents can purchase items themselves. The report said the shop enabled residents “to retain their independence as well as providing a meaningful activity for those people who volunteered to help run it”.

The inspector said: “Each person we spoke with told us they were happy with the care received".
Resident Jean Raynor (pictured front left), 89, who has lived at Montrose Hall since January last year, said: “I am happy that Montrose Hall achieved this rating as they deserve it. The staff do a wonderful job and it is a lovely place to live. 

“We have lots of trips out and I take part in the activities within the home. I have a lovely room, nice friends, there is someone always here to help and it is a nice family environment.”

For more information on Montrose Hall and Anchor, contact 0800 731 2020.