CQC ‘Good’ rating for Shipley and Airedale

The Care Quality Commission has rated Affinity Trust’s services in Shipley and Airedale ‘Good’ in all five categories – safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. All Affinity Trust’s registered locations in England are currently rated ‘Good’.

In Shipley and Airedale, Affinity Trust supports nearly 100 people with supported living and outreach.

The three-person Care Quality Commission team visited the service in January 2019. They spoke to nine people supported by the service and 19 staff, sent a survey to many others, and contacted the local safeguarding and commissioning teams.

The inspectors found that:

• Support workers received ‘comprehensive’ induction and training tailored to the needs of the people they were supporting. For instance, staff were trained in British Sign Language so they could support a profoundly deaf person.

• People were supported to lead healthier lives; one had joined a slimming club and another was supported to do batch cooking at the weekend, so they could have healthier meals during the week.

• The service worked closely with NHS organisations to ensure people received effective care, support and treatment. For instance, the use of hospital passports helped ensure that people received the right care and support if they were admitted to hospital.

• People were supported to take part in activities they enjoyed, including drama, gardening and horse riding.

It was clear people being supported had developed positive relationships with their support workers, who showed a good knowledge of people’s personalities and needs.

“They support me really well” – person supported in Shipley, quoted by the Care Quality Commission

In line with Affinity Trust’s mission, people were supported to be independent. One could do their own washing because their support worker had marked on the washing machine the programme they needed to use. Another was being supported to live more independently, with night-time support being reduced gradually.

People were involved in making decisions about their care and support – for example, they were asked what kind of people they would like to support them, and took part in recruiting support staff.

The inspectors noted an ‘inclusive’ culture, that included satisfaction surveys, a carers and parents’ forum, formal care reviews and social events.

Support workers spoke positively about their managers, one saying, “She’s very good. She’s very supportive.”

Read the full report on the Care Quality Commission website
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