Welmede Housing Association, a supported living service in Chertsey, Surrey, has been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following an inspection undertaken in June.
Welmede Housing Association provides care and support to people living in their own homes. The service is a subsidiary of the Avenues Group, a provider of support services for autistic people, people with learning disability, and acquired brain injury,
As well as being rated outstanding overall, it was rated outstanding for being responsive and well-led. It was rated good for being safe, effective and caring.
Serena Coleman, CQC deputy director of operations in the south of England, said:
“The care provided to people at Welmede Housing Association was outstanding. We found a culture which was extremely person centred and inclusive.
“People were involved in decisions about their care and support needs, with staff who asked for their consent before supporting them.
“Managers were working hard to instil a culture of care where everyone was valued, and people's individuality was promoted. People’s rights were protected, and they were enabled to develop and flourish.
“People were encouraged and supported to pursue their interests and hobbies. One person enjoyed wildlife and wished to have a hedgehog house and was supported by staff to have this installed in the garden. It successfully attracted a family of hedgehogs, that regularly came to the door of the home for food. Another person liked dogs and had been supported to find voluntary work at a dog rescue centre. Where people had expressed a wish to have pets, this had been organised and someone was supported to adopt two kittens.
“People also told us they were able to build positive and caring relationships with the staff who supported them.
“We found this to be a well-run and supportive service that focused on people’s needs. Other services should look to learn from this, as an example of the high standards of care people should expect.”
Inspectors found:
- The registered manager and staff team were able to anticipate and identify concerns quickly
- Staff provided care and support in a way that met people's individual needs and promoted equality. Some people had complex needs that other care services hadn’t been able to meet due to the specialist care people required. The provider had been able to meet these needs by implementing evidence-based models of support that focused on the individual
- There was an open and honest culture between people who used the service, their loved ones, staff and managers
- People’s individual communication needs were identified at the point of assessment
- The provider had developed a 'Family Matters' group, the aim of which was to provide a voice for families, carers and friends, and ensuring the provider's practice, policies and procedures had their involvement
- The provider and manager liaised with other organisations, explored best practice.