A CARE home supporting older people has maintained its strong reputation with the healthcare watchdog.

Abbeyfield Reading Society was rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following an inspection of the service in January.

The charity-run home was praised for providing effective care and inspectors were particularly complimentary of the 'inclusive' culture.

A spokesman for Abbeyfield said: "The trustees, management and staff at Abbeyfield Care Home were delighted to receive a ‘Good’ rating from our latest CQC inspection.

"It upholds the high standards that we set at Abbeyfield in the care of the elderly and follows our previous ‘good’ rating in 2015.

"The report highlights the skilled and effective management, the dedication and responsibility of the staff and the level of care and attention with which residents are provided.

"As a charity-run home we are pleased that the achievements of our team have again been recognised by the inspectors.

"We aim to balance our legal requirements to keep our residents safe and healthy with providing a warm family atmosphere."

Abbeyfield, based on, Maitland Road, is a care home without nursing and provides for a maximum of 28 older people across three floors.

The CQC's 'Good' rating was retained from the last inspection, carried out in July 2018, and applies to all areas of the service.

The inspection report reads: "The service continued to meet all the fundamental standards and had a registered manager as required.

"People were protected from the risks of abuse and felt safe living at the service. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and knew what actions to take if they felt people were at risk

"People received effective care and support from staff who knew them well and were trained and supervised.

"Staff were happy working at the service and people benefitted from having staff who felt well managed and supported.

"People were treated with care and kindness and their right to confidentiality was protected."

There had been no formal complaints made to the service in the 12 months prior to the latest inspection and residents said they enjoyed many aspects of Abbeyfield.

The unannounced inspection covered a number of key topics, including effectiveness and responsiveness of care.