A NURSING home named among the country’s top one per cent welcomed a special visitor to join in the celebrations.

MP North West Hampshire Kit Malthouse visited Andover Nursing Home after it was judged as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission.

It is the second time that the Weyhill Road facility has received such a rating in the space of just over two years.

And on Friday, Mr Malthouse presented matron and registered manager Louise Makepeace with an award recognising the achievement.

She said: “It is our second time in a row being awarded with an outstanding CQC, is down to the hard work of all the staff through their hard work and dedication.

“It is good to have a good news story about nursing homes because nursing and care staff work so hard. It is really frightening for elderly people and relatives to read about poor care when 99 per cent of homes give good care.”

Mr Malthouse, on his third visit to the home, added: “It didn’t come as a surprise. Every visit it gets better and better. I am so pleased that all the hard work of the team has been recognised with this award of outstanding.”

Mr Malthouse also made a joke that the staff need to keep up the hard work for 30 years so he can move in when he reaches a certain age.

The Andover Nursing Home provides care for up to 87 people across its two units.

The facility was rated ‘good’ for the ‘safe’ and ‘effective’ elements of its service, with top marks in ‘caring’, ‘responsive’ and ‘well-led’ categories, earning it the highest possible rating overall.

The report praised the culture created by leadership, which “drove and improved high quality person-centred care”, and staff were also singled out for the “exceptional, holistic, person centred, end of life care” they provided people.