“Staff were kind, knowledgeable and caring. They demonstrated a good level of understanding of people’s complex needs. The management team were open and transparent, and demonstrated a commitment to ongoing improvement. ”
At Consensus, we believe in a culture of continuous improvement; a culture where our colleagues support people to achieve their goals, and to always continue finding ways to improve the Quality of Life they experience, no matter the disability.
For the people living at Harvey Lane, their recent inspection shows just that. Located in Norwich, Norfolk, Harvey Lane is a 9 bedroom residential service that supports adults with learning disabilities to develop life skills, increase independence, and deliver positive outcomes that are unique to each person.
Following an inspection in July 2026, Harvey Lane has been rated ‘Good’ in all 5 domains by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with their being a real highlight throughout on the kind & compassionate team, alongside comments from those living their which included “I am happy here and I feel safe”.
Congratulations to the team at Harvey Lane!
“I am incredibly proud of the entire team for the remarkable journey they have taken to achieve a ‘Good’ CQC rating. This achievement reflects their dedication, resilience and unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality care and support. Most importantly, the improvements made have had a direct and meaningful impact on the lives of the people we support.
Supported individuals are now experiencing a higher quality of life, with greater opportunities for choice, independence, dignity and meaningful engagement. The team’s hard work has created a safer, more person-centred environment where people can truly thrive, and they should be immensely proud of the difference they have made.”
Matthew Merlo, Service Manager
While the inspection report provides detailed insight into the service, the highlights below summarise the findings across each of the areas assessed by the CQC.
Safe
- “A strong emphasis was placed upon working in partnership with healthcare partners. A person living at the service spoke positively of the relationship they had with their healthcare professionals and felt involved in their care in conjunction with the service.”
- “When asked if they felt people were safe, one staff member told us, “I have no concerns for people’s safety, we have worked tirelessly to build confidence with people who live here, it’s a new phase entirely.””
- “The staff and leadership teams at the service were knowledgeable and skilled. The service had a low turnover of staff, which minimised disruption to people’s care.”
Effective
- “People lived full lives and were engaged with hobbies and interests. The registered manager told us, and we saw, that people were encouraged to eat healthily and stay as active as they were able to.”
- “The service hosted themed nights each week for dinner, where cuisines from around the world were cooked to encourage people to eat varied diets. This helped promote people’s physical wellbeing, supported social engagement, and enabled people to make meaningful choices about how they spent their time.”
- “For example, the service had worked with professionals to support one person to safely access communal areas of the home and the community, following several years of this proving too distressing for them. Staff we spoke to were able to easily describe the positive impact this had for the person, including a significant reduction in incidents and an increase in positive social interaction.”
Caring
- “We observed people to be treated with kindness and respect. We spoke with staff who spoke passionately about wanting to support people to live their best lives.”
- “Those we spoke [relatives] with told us staff were caring, and that they had no concerns around the treatment of their loved ones. We observed people and staff to be relaxed around each other.”
- “People’s individuality was celebrated and embraced. The registered manager had high standards and was dedicated to ensuring people could live their lives the way they wanted to.”
Responsive
- “We saw that people received care which was person-centred and met their needs. Where peoples need changed, processes were in place which ensured this was shared with staff.”
- “People’s care and support plans outlined how they communicated. Staff had received communication training and were aware of people’s individual communication needs.”
- “The service held regular key worker meetings between people and the staff who support them to discuss aspects of their life and care together. We saw that people were given the opportunity to share their thoughts and wishes, which were listened to and acted upon.”
Well-Led
- “Without exception, every staff member at Harvey Lane spoke with passion and dedication about the culture and direction of the service. The main aim of the service was to ensure that people led fulfilling and meaningful lives.”
- “When talking about people’s quality of life, another staff member told us, “This has drastically improved with activities for individuals pre-planned and they are usually doing at least one activity a day and have constant access to the community.””
- ‘The manager was compassionate and caring, and led by example. A staff member told us, “We all work well together offering support where needed”.”
A huge congratulations to everyone at Harvey Lane on this fantastic achievement and for the positive difference you make every day.
