“The staff are kind and respect my choices”
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Affinity Trust’s support in Suffolk ‘Good’ in all five categories.
CQC, the independent regulator of social care in England, visited the people and the office on 18 and 20 April 2018, having given 48 hours’ notice.
Across Suffolk, Affinity Trust supports 28 people with learning and physical disabilities. Some people live on their own, others in shared housing.
The CQC inspector spoke to three people receiving support, as well as family members, Affinity Trust staff and other professionals. They also reviewed support plans, recruitment files, staffing rotas, training and other records.
CCQ rated the service as ‘Good’ in all five categories – safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
They noted that:
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people looked at ease with staff and said they were knowledgeable and caring
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there was a robust recruitment process
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people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives
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staff provided a positive culture of support.
One relative said they were very pleased with the service, adding that their relative’s quality of life had improved and that they now did more than ever before.
“The staff are excellent at looking after me” – person we support in Suffolk, quoted by CQC
The staff CQC spoke to showed a good knowledge of the needs of the people they were supporting, and enjoyed working for the service. One said: “I like this job because you can help the people and you can only do this if you are supported yourself, much happier working here than in my past jobs.”
Senior staff visited the various parts of the service regularly to provide support, listen to the views of the people using the service, and monitor changes. The report notes: “We saw…that the people who used the service knew the managers and staff well.”
Donna Leedham, Director of Operations and Quality, said: “I am really proud of all the staff who work in Suffolk; they are very committed and want the very best for each person. They work to enable each person to have the life they want, and go above and beyond to make this happen.
“I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing commitment to the people they support, and to continue to keep up the person-centred work they do.”
