The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Orri, an independent specialist eating disorder service in Central London, as outstanding, following its first inspection.
The service provides eating disorder day treatment to adults through face-to-face and online therapies. The inspection was carried out in December as part of CQC’s regular checks on the standards of care being delivered to people using healthcare services.
In addition to being rated outstanding overall, Orri was rated outstanding for being safe, caring, effective, well-led and responsive to people’s needs.
Helen Rawlings, CQC’s head of hospital inspection said:
“I was pleased to see the excellent quality of care being delivered by Orri, especially against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has ensured patient safety throughout, and continued to deliver the support its clients need, aided by an effective online treatment programme.
“Orri was delivering an exceptional experience to people who used this service as well as their families, during an extremely challenging time in people’s lives.
“People we spoke to were overwhelmingly positive about the staff, who, they told us, met their unique and individual needs with kindness and compassion.
“One person related how a staff member sat with them for an hour after the service closed as they needed emotional support, while another described how they received regular, motivational calls from their dietician when they were struggling with their treatment and recovery.
“People’s needs were central to everything the staff and management did, which has resulted in an outstanding service. It is an excellent example to other providers who should look to learn from this report.”
People receiving treatment at Orri were given an active role in decisions about their care, which evolved as they progressed through their recovery.
Bespoke treatment plans were tailored to individual needs and the service considered how to best support autistic people who used their service. For example, staff adapted their approach to take account of any sensory processing issues.
Inspectors found a strong community ethos throughout the service, creating an environment of mutual support.
They were particularly impressed that people who had completed their recovery kept in touch with the service and returned to deliver supportive and motivational groups to new clients.
CQC also welcomed the service’s strong social media presence, which gave those accessing treatment the opportunity to share their experiences safely through closely monitored blogs and online interactions, as well as enabling them to keep in touch with the service and receive regular motivation when it was closed.
People using the service were also integral to its running. They were able to participate in recruitment panels and were encouraged and supported to give feedback, helping the service to continually improve the care it provided.
A positive culture characterised the organisation with staff feeling supported, respected and valued, and offered regular learning opportunities to ensure they continued providing great care.
The organisation worked to share its can-do approach, which was evidenced through collaboration with other organisations and charities, as well as sessions in local schools on body image and recognising eating disorders.
Full details of the inspection are given in the report published on our website.
For enquiries about this press release please email regional.engagement@cqc.org.uk.
Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here (Please note: the duty press officer is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters).
For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.