The Cherwell Centre rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the quality of care provided by PossAbilities C.I.C. at Cherwell Centre as outstanding.

The Cherwell Centre in Rochdale is a community based care service providing specialised care and support to people with learning disabilities either in their own homes, with their families or in tenanted housing. The service also includes some respite care.

CQC carried out an announced inspection at the home in October and has rated the service as outstanding overall. The home has been rated as outstanding for providing services that are caring and well led, and good for providing services that are safe, effective and responsive.

Under CQC’s new programme of inspections, all adult social care services are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

People that used the service told inspectors they felt safe and well supported and that staff understood their needs and made them feel valued.

People were encouraged, and supported, by staff to live independent lives with as little restriction as possible. The service created an independent employment scheme which was designed to promote social inclusion and develop people’s life skills.

Inspectors saw evidence that staff were supported with appropriate training and were enabled to develop their skills further. The service created and appointed various champions in key areas of care including dementia, moving and handling, training and safeguarding. These roles were committed to sharing best practice and enhancing staff skills throughout the service which ensured people received high quality and safe care.

The service actively gathered feedback from families, carers and the people that used the service in order to identify areas for improvement. Inspectors saw evidence that the service was dedicated to providing person centred care, they included people and their families in the development of the service from being involved in recruitment of new staff to the future planning of the centre. This made people feel a part of the care they received and gave them some control on how it was delivered.

Management recognised staff for their efforts and achievements through an awards system, it was felt that this helped staff to strive to achieve more. The service also held a providers forum which was a place for other healthcare providers to discuss ideas going forward and exchange good practice.

Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the North, said:
“We found the care being provided at the Cherwell Centre to be outstanding. The staff should feel proud of the work they do and the care they are providing to people they support.

“What really struck us about this service was how dedicated the team was to constantly improving the quality of the service for the people it supported, and their families. People told us they felt safe and well supported, and found the carers to be kind and compassionate, helping them to be more independent.”