Praise has been heaped on a care home after it achieved the "rare feat" of being marked 'outstanding' by the health watchdog for a third time in a row.

Eglantine Villa Bupa Care Home in Horton Kirby held a party to celebrate last week after its latest report was published last month.

It follows an unannounced unannounced inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on November 16.

Just a handful of other care homes in England are thought to have maintained an 'Outstanding' rating for three inspections in a row.

The CQC praised the team's "clear person centred culture", and the "focus on overcoming barriers to support people to achieve their goals".

The report described the home's support as "highly personalised", and said staff "took the time to get to know people very well".

It continued: "People, and their relatives where appropriate, were involved in decisions about their care and they received care which promoted their dignity and encouraged independence."

Home Manager Bryony John said: "We're really proud, I'm really proud of the entire team and how everyone's pulled together to go the extra mile for our residents.

"We're just overwhelmed and overjoyed to have done it a third time. We have a really strong team here who are dedicated to going above and beyond.

"From kitchen staff to the care team and nurses, everyone here shows a real passion and love for what they do, and dedication.

"Every day we just pull together, work as a team and try to ensure that everyone that comes into our home, be that resident or visitor, is taken care of and happy.

"The inspection really is about showcasing all the excellent things that go on day to day and what makes us an outstanding home. The rating was a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone who works here, but also to the people we care for and their families."

The team held an "Outstanding" party last Monday to celebrate with staff, residents and visitors.

Each member of the team was given a voucher and a personalised thank you card.

Mayor of Dartford Cllr Paul Cutler also paid a visit during the celebrations which featured a live singer, a magician, food and drink from the kitchen team, cake and dancing.

Bryony addedd: "It was a chance to really take in the achievement and how important it was for all of us. It was a really, really lovely afternoon.

“We are delighted to have retained Outstanding status from the CQC. We always strive to go the extra mile for our residents, whether that’s organising an ‘Australia’ themed day for someone who loves to travel, or arranging for local children to visit the home to learn Spanish with our residents, so I was pleased to see all of the team’s hard work recognised.”

The home runs a monthly scheme called Make a Wish. Bryony explained: "We pick a different resident each month and find out if there's anything they've always really wanted to do, any places they wanted to go or people they wanted to meet.

"Then we try our best to bring that dream or one wish to life as best we can. Our first Make a Wish said he'd love to go to Australia but he'd never been and sadly he said he didn't think he would be able to get there now, so we brought Australia to him."

The team threw an Australia-themed party for him, decorating the home with flags and location signs, as well as having an Australian-themed menu, props, and hats.

The report praised this scheme, saying staff supported residents "to reach their goals as far as possible".

Eglantine Villa also partnered up with LingoTots, a company which teaches modern languages to children, on its "Generations" scheme, where children visited the home to learn Spanish with the residents.

Bryony said: "It was an excellent opportunity to provide stimulation to the residents but also it gave them a link in with the community. Some of our residents are not able to connect with the community as much as they'd like."

Rebecca Pearson, general manager for care services at Bupa Global & UK said: “To be recognised as Outstanding by the CQC is always a huge achievement, but to retain Outstanding status three times in a row is a rare feat. It is testament to the hard work of the whole team, who have maintained their high standards in the long term.

“Everyone at Bupa Care Services works hard to provide the highest quality of care to our residents, and I was particularly pleased that the CQC inspectors recognised the highly personalised care, dignity and independence that the team provides at Eglantine Villa.”