Bosses of a care home near Colchester said they "couldn't be happier" after receiving a 'good' rating from a watchdog inspection.

Jamesons Residential Care Home, in Fordham, was visited by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at the end of November.

The CQC began an investigation of the home after receiving concerns related to safeguarding.

But in a recently-published report, the watchdog found the home provided a "safe, supportive and friendly environment" for residents, with staff showing a "good understanding of people's individual and specific needs".

The home, which provides care for people aged between 18-65 years old with learning disabilities and mental health issues, had "effective systems in place to monitor quality and safety" and was well-staffed to meet people's needs.

CQC inspectors were told by a relative of a resident that the home provided a "bright and homely environment" and had given them peace of mind.

The watchdog also found there to be no evidence of safeguarding issues at the home.

A previous inspection of the home in December 2016 also rated the service 'good'.

Sophie Kennedy, registered manager at the home, said the pressures of the coronavirus crisis had been "difficult", but praised her team for their efforts in achieving the rating.

She said: "We couldn’t be happier with our recent CQC inspection report.

"The current pandemic has been difficult for the whole of the care industry and opening a new service in July could have been very tricky. However, with a fantastic team around us and the support from Essex Social Service, CQC and the NHS, we have been able to provide a fantastic service.

"Every single member of the team has worked so hard to ensure that the people we support at Jamesons are able to stay safe but also have a great quality of life, coming up with ever new and inventive ways of keeping the day to day exciting.

"I could not be prouder of them and the work they have done so far.

"We feel that this report reflects the hours of dedication and commitment to the home that people have shown and its wonderful to see such amazing feedback from the professionals and families that we work alongside."