The service, based in the heart of the local community in Darlington, opened in late 2021 and supports adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and behaviours that challenge.
The service offers individuals the opportunity to be active members of their local community whilst holding their own tenancy agreement with a registered housing association.
The rating follows an inspection carried out over several days in July and August 2022 which resulted in a ‘Good’ rating in all five key lines of enquiry ‘Safe’, ‘Effective’, ‘Caring’, ‘Responsive’ and ‘Well Led’.
The full report (published on the CQC website) highlights many areas of positive practice, including:
- Individuals received kind, respectful and compassionate care from staff who used positive, respectful language which individuals understood and responded well to. One individual said, “The staff are really kind, caring and really treat me well.”
- Individuals had the opportunity to try new experiences, develop new skills and gain independence. One individual said, “I’m much more independent and staff have really helped me to learn the skills.”
- The service delivered person-centred care with individuals having choice and control regarding how staff met their needs.
- Staff had good awareness, skills and understanding of individual communication needs. They knew how to facilitate communication and when individuals were trying to tell them something.
- Staff understood and implemented the principles of STOMP (stopping over-medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both) and ensured that people’s medicines were reviewed by prescribers in line with these principles.
- Staff empowered individuals to make their own decisions about their care and support.
- Individuals were supported by staff who had received relevant and good quality training in evidence-based practice.
- Staff took the time to understand individual’s communication styles and develop a rapport with them.
Louise Vollans, Service Manager, said, “Myself and the staff team are over the moon with our first rating. We have worked really hard over the last year to ensure we could provide a service to meet the tenants needs and our hard work has now been worthwhile. We are keen to move onto our next journey to continually improve the service that we provide.”