Southwell's Reach Learning Disability Care rated outstanding by Care Quality Commission
An organisation which provides high quality one-to-one care support to adults with learning disabilities has been awarded an outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission.
Reach Learning Disability Care, based in Southwell, is among only 2% of organisations in England to receive the rating.
The chief executive of Reach, Mr Steve Shatwell, said their vision when setting up Reach Care was about quality of delivery, with their clients always at the centre of their service.
"We knew that the key to this would be getting our staff recruitment right," he said.
"We believed that if we spent time and effort recruiting the highest quality staff we would achieve the best service."
Mr Shatwell said that over the past six years they have put together a fantastic care support team which had made the vision a reality.
They employ 50 staff who provide one-to-one support to 50 adults with learning disabilities each year.
Two years ago they received a good rating after their inspection.
"The advancement to outstanding reflects the hard work and commitment of managers and staff who are so genuinely committed to making a positive difference to the lives of adults with learning disabilities," he said.
"Many of our staff live in and around the Newark district and I think they have done this area proud."
Mr Shatwell said they reinvest enormously into the service, spending time to know their clients and making sure the staff have the training they need to do an excellent job.
"This CQC rating is an unequivocal confirmation that our staff are doing the right thing and they are getting the right leadership," he said.
"Our outstanding rating is not the end, it is simply part of our journey of improvement. We want to be the benchmark of quality, to build on this great inspection result and make excellence part of our ongoing culture."
Mr Adrian Hartley said his son Dale had moved from their home to a shared supported living bungalow four years ago when he needed more support that they could provide.
Initially the provider suggested by the county council struggled to provide the support Dale needed because of his complex needs and in 2016 they were devastated when the national company pulled out of providing support.
"We looked into possible alternatives and were already aware of the extremely good reputation that Reach Learning Disability had for providing personal centre support," he said.
"They stood head and shoulders above the competition. We approached them and they rose to the challenge. From the first day they established a well-trained staff team that took the time to know Dale and responded creatively and flexibly to his needs, developing a service around him."
Mr Hartley said Dale needs support for every aspect in his life but Reach has given them the confidence, as parents, to stand back and return to a more normal life, knowing that Dale is being well looked after, making his own choices and able to live his life as he would wish.
"We have seen Dale grow increasingly confident with his staff and they have worked with him to create new opportunities to participate in community life and new and exciting activities," he said.
"For Dale and ourselves Reach has always been outstanding but it is good they have rightfully received the acknowledgement from CQC that they richly deserve."