A NURSING home in Bloxham has become the first of its kind in England to be rated outstanding in every area by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors visited Godswell Park care home in July and found that it was 'outstanding' – the highest category – for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well–led and outstanding overall.

The Church Street home provides nursing care and support for older people, some of whom may be living with a variety of physical disabilities including Parkinson’s disease, or who may be requiring palliative care.

Michael Bone, the chairman of Godswell Park, who set up the care home after struggling to find a place that could provide good care for his own mother, said that he felt it was a 'wonderful legacy for her'.

Mr Bone said: “Elderly people requiring nursing care are some of the most vulnerable in our society.

"It is important that staff have ample time to support them individually so that each resident may continue to live as fulfilling a life as possible.

“To achieve this with an outstanding score means not only that this is happening, but that it is carried out to the highest standards, with kindness and care.”

Although a very small number of other social care providers have been rated 'outstanding' in all areas, Godswell Park is the only independent nursing home in England out of the 18,000 that are registered with CQC to achieve a score of outstanding in all five inspection areas.

Deborah Ivanova, the CQC's deputy chief inspector of adult social care, said: “Godswell Park is clearly an outstanding service where both care delivery and the physical environment are designed around meeting people’s needs in a way that makes their lives full and meaningful.

“We observed staff demonstrating kindness, respect and compassion by focusing on the well-being of people and going above and beyond their regular duties.

“It is encouraging to see a service where the care provided is of such high quality. The service demonstrates a real commitment to innovation and using technology to improve the lives of people in the service."