“It was abundantly clear people were being supported to live full and enriching lives. Staff empowered people enabling them to be independent and make choices in every aspect of their lives. Staff were exceptionally kind and caring when supporting people.”
Person-centred care, by staff who go above and beyond to support the people at Valley House to truly live their best lives. Supporting people to flourish, the kindness, caring nature, and dedication shines throughout in their recent CQC Inspection, where Valley House achieved a rating of ‘Good’, and achieved ‘Outstanding’ in the Caring category.
Led by both Samuel Hollis (previous Service Manager) and Natalie Turley (current Service Manager) at the time of inspection, both Managers have supported the people living at Valley House to achieve their goals, whilst providing exceptional leadership to the colleagues who support them.
Congratulations to the whole team at Valley House on the care & kindness that is weaved into every interaction highlighted in their report.
Interactions with those living at Valley House included:
- One person gave us a ‘thumbs up’ indicating they felt safe within the environment.
- One person was visibly excited being speaking with staff about how to stay safe when using the stairs. This person gave staff a ‘high five’ and vocalised their happiness with doing this.
Comments from the relatives included:
- “The staff team are truly wonderful as since [family member] has lived here the change in them has been incredible. Things just keep getting better and better.”
- “The best indication of how great the staff are is that [family member] feels so at home there and sees them as their family. [Family member] has found it hard to stay at places for a long time in the past but has happily lived here for [extended period of time.”
- “Since living at the service [family member] seems so much happier and more sure of themselves because they feel secure.”
- Relatives gave extremely positive feedback about the kind and caring nature of the staff team.
Comments from staff included:
- “The best part of the job is seeing people happy. Making sure they have everything they need to have the best time they can possible have. I love it when people come and hold my hand when they need to feel calm and I know what a difference this makes to them.”
- “This is a beautiful place to work. The management team truly listen to us if we think things could be done better and put things in place so we can help people in the best way possible. Getting to work with people and help them achieve what they want is the best feeling ever and brings joy to my heart.”
- “I love it when people ask me what it is like to work here. The providers values speak to me and they truly value people’s experiences above all else. We are supported to have a massive impact on people’s lives and I can see the difference in [people] as I work with them.’”
Highlighting some of our stand-out comments that show the genuine kindness embodied throughout, have a read of the incredible report below;
Safe
- Staffing levels at the service were exceptional, meaning people had full control of when and how they utilised the staff support available to them. The management team inspired staff to be highly trained and motivated to support people in an exceptionally person-centred way.
- Staff were confident in explaining what people’s support needs were and explained in detail how to support people as safely as possible.
- “I know the staff have everything they need to know to keep [family member] safe.”
- People had fantastic control of how they spent their time due to the exceptional staffing levels at the service. People were able to leave the service or do what they wanted to do in the service as a result of the correct staffing levels being available to them at all times of the day.
- “The training about how to support people living with learning disabilities was brilliant. It really focused on what we can do to help people understand what we are saying to them and support them with their sensory support needs.”
Effective
- Staff were trained in the MCA and had a good understanding of how this applied when they supported people.
- Assessments focused on people’s preferences likes and dislikes as well as their physical support needs. As part of the assessment process, relatives and professionals were consulted to help make sure people’s needs were recorded in as much detail as possible.
- One relative told us, “We have regular meetings about [family member] and whether any changes are needed. I am fully involved and able to give my feedback.”
Caring
- People had been supported to achieve fantastic outcome as a result of staff support including being in control of what they did with their lives and no longer needing various restrictive practices to help keep them safe.
- The management team prioritised people’s support above all else but also offered brilliant support to staff who loved working at the service and felt exceptionally well supported by the provider.
- People were exceptionally relaxed and showed signs they were very happy with their support. The person visibly smiled with delight being supported by staff and ‘high fived’ them regularly. Another person smiled and told us staff were ‘lovely’ and ‘beautiful.’
- Staff went above and beyond to make sure they supported people in as kind and compassionate a way as possible. It was clear when speaking with staff that they truly cared for people and wanted what was best for them.
- “You cannot fault how the staff team support [family member]. They are treated with such understanding and respect. It is absolutely brilliant.”
Responsive
- People were supported to achieve their own goals, wishes and ambitions in their own time with the support of the staff team.
- One relative said, “[Staff] really try their best to help [family member] get out and about although they find this quite difficult. It is great to be shown the photos of what they have been up to.”
- People had also been supported to access the community and learn independent living skills if this was their choice.
Well-Led
Whilst the inspector didn’t review ‘Well-Led’ during the visit, it’s clear from the report that the positive leadership shines throughout, making De Parys a great place to live, and a great place to work.
Service Manager, Natalie Turley shared “As the new Service Manager at Valley House, straight away it was evident to see what a exceptionally outstanding team Valley House is! Each and every staff member has a positive impact on enriching the people who live here, and I feel incredibly lucky to be apart of this. It’s such a lovely report to read and reflects the passion for supporting everyone here, with people at the centre.”
And previous Service Manager Samuel Hollis expressed his happiness “I am very proud of this CQC report, it is hugely positive about all areas of Valley House. It shows the amazing teamwork of everyone here and also the value of the support from the wider Consensus family. The people who live at Valley House always come first and this is excellent recognition of the brilliant support they receive.”
