Service for learning disabled again rated ‘outstanding’

A service that supports people with learning disabilities has again been rated ‘outstanding’ by the government’s health watchdog.

The Cherwell Centre, in Heywood, received praise for its caring and effective approach by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following its first inspection since 2015.

Run by community interest company PossAbilities, its outreach team provides support for learning-disabled adults within their own homes so they can live independently.

And the Shared Lives Scheme provides the opportunity to live in a family home on a long or short-term basis.
The centre, based in Cherwell Avenue, also offers respite care for people with learning disabilities and those living with dementia.

The report notes how staff at the centre encouraged people to ‘maintain and improve their life skills’, adding: “This gave people the confidence to lead a more independent lifestyle. People were given choices in the way they ran their lives.”

People who used the service were also given help to plan and prepare their own meals, enabling them to live a healthy lifestyle.

The centre’s staff are trained to appreciate and understand what services users have ‘to face in daily life’ –  and this empathetic approach was said to work well.

The report added: “People we spoke with thought staff were kind, caring and supportive. 

“Staff encouraged people to be independent and to exercise their rights by lobbying MPs or joining known support groups.”

The centre was also praised for catering for people’s different needs, depending on their culture, religion, age and gender.

The report noted: “We saw many examples of how people’s equality and diversity needs were met.”

Communication methods were also found to be tailored to each person to ensure they could make their wishes known. 

 

 

The service was said to have ’embraced technology’ in order to to help people who communicate in a non-verbal way.

And inspectors praised the outstanding ‘responsiveness’ of the service, noting that it ran ‘meaningful activities and events to help people lead a fulfilling life’.

Service users and their family members are also able to have their say in how the service was run, while those who found work were supported in their jobs, making them feel valued.

And there was further praise for how the centre ‘initiated and led events that involved the local community’.

The report said: “The service liaised with many organisations, professionals and the community to help promote the care of people with a learning disability and autism.

“This included being involved in ways to improve people’s health and well-being.”

Last month PossAbilities was given permission to build 17 supported-living apartments for learning-disabled adults next to The Cherwell Centre.

Chief executive Rachel Law said it would give 17 people their own front door ‘for the very first time in their lives’.

Rachel said: “To achieve outstanding the first time around was an incredible achievement by our team of amazingly dedicated people. To achieve it a second time, and with improved gradings, really shows that we continue to set our sights higher and higher.”

She added: “Part of being the amongst the best means continually striving to get even better. One in four providers that are rated outstanding, lose it on their second inspection. I want to thank all of the team across our services in Rochdale that have made this possible.

"Most of all, I am delighted for the people with learning disabilities who we support to live the life they choose”.

PossAbilities provides support to some 150 people with learning disabilities across the borough of Rochdale. They live in shared houses or in family homes across the community and are supported to become increasingly independent so that they are able to live the life that they choose. The recent Government Civil Society Strategy featured PossAbilities as a stand out example of how we can make our society stronger and more inclusive.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter