A MALDON care home has been rated good by a care watchdog, completing a fantastic turnaround from last year.

Longfield Residential Home, in Fambridge Close, was inspected in November when it was found to require improvement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

A follow up inspection took place in June and found significant improvement had been made in all aspects of the home, particularly leadership and safety.

Those were two areas highlighted as worrying by the inspector in November, saying: “The service was not always safe.

“People were at risk of harm when they had been left unsupervised when the only member of staff on each unit supported their colleagues on other units “The service was not always well-led.”

However, the care home’s turnaround was recognised by the inspector this time around, who praised both aspects of the service.

The report said: “A very well organised programme of induction, training, supervision and appraisals for staff were in place and they had knowledge and skills to care for people effectively.

“The service had reviewed their staffing arrangements and made improvements to ensure people were kept safe.

“There were also systems in place to safeguard people from avoidable harm and staff knew who and how to report any concerns.

“People were supported by kind and caring staff who were respectful and polite to people.

“There was effective management of the service in place with a registered manager who was proactive and inclusive. People and their relatives were involved in developing the service.”

Longfield’s manager, Gina Copsey, was thrilled with the report and turnaround, believing it was a sign of her staff’s commitment, hard work and attitude.

She said: “It is a really good report, we are delighted to be rated good in all areas of our care, especially after last year’s report.

“Not only that, the report highlights that there are some areas of outstanding practice as well.

“That is our goal for next time, to bring it up again and to be rated outstanding.

“We have shown a massive improvement over the last year and we are absolutely thrilled.

“The staff have worked so hard to get things turned around and I can’t thank them enough for what they have done.”