A Tipton St John care home that provides ‘exceptional and compassionate care’ and a homely environment has been rated ‘outstanding’ by health inspectors.

Sundial Care Home was ranked ‘outstanding’ for being effective, caring and well-led; it was rated ‘good’ for being safe and responsive from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors praised staff for their passion, empathy and the home’s care model, which promotes that barriers between people and staff do not exist.

The inspector said: “The atmosphere at the home was calm and welcoming with people living there appearing ‘at home’.

“The service was very well led. The provider’s aims and objectives were to provide people with high quality care and support.

“People and what was important to them were the focus of the staff’s work.

“There was a strong person centred culture at the home, with people being at the centre and focus of everything.

“Staff had a real empathy for the people they cared for and treated people like family members.”

To celebrate the news, the home held a garden party on Sunday to celebrate the staff’s achievement.

Lorraine Molloy, manager of the home, said: “We can train people to complete any job, but the belief in good care has to come straight from the heart.

“The staff here have taken the training and put it into practise with their heart and soul which has made the care that they give ‘outstanding’.”

Deputy manager Una Cunningham added: “It’s first and foremost a huge thank-you to 35 individuals; these people are the team at Sundial who come in everyday of the year to care for, and provide our family members with care, and a quality of life that is ‘outstanding’.

“These people put the outstanding into Sundial.”

Deborah Ivanova, deputy chief inspector of adult social care at the CQC, offered her congratulations to the team.

She said: “Sundial Care Home has a culture where the provision of consistent, high quality, compassionate care is at the heart of its operation.

“It is clear that the staff and management are committed to providing individualised care and treating people with dignity and respect.

“Relatives were also overwhelmingly positive when describing the standards of care provided.”