Chesterfield-based care provider, Heathcotes Group, is ending 2019 on a high following CQC Outstanding ratings for two of its specialist residential services in Bridlington and Sutton, South London.

Previously rated Good, Heathcotes Larkrise in Sutton supports adults with learning disabilities and autism. The CQC report praised Registered Manager, Ridwan Ameerbeg, and his staff team for person-centred care which truly focused on people as individuals, supporting them to live life to the full and working with them to learn new skills, increase their independence and become more confident in everyday life. It said the environment was unique and creatively supported people’s individual needs and preferences. CQC inspectors added that “without exception, people were treated with compassion, respect and dignity by staff who built meaningful relationships with them.”

Ridwan, who joined Heathcotes as a Support Worker in 2010 and progressed to Registered Manager in 2016, commented on the achievement:

“I’m passionate about supporting learning disability clients and I want to deliver standards that pass the ‘family test’ – the quality of care you would want for yourself or your own loved ones. It’s wonderful to see Heathcotes Larkrise pass that test with flying colours. To have so many people – the inspectors, clients and relatives – saying so many nice things about myself and my team was incredible.”

“Heathcotes Larkrise has taken a lot of inspiration from the organisation’s guidance and the Groups’s core values as a person-centred care provider. Above all, my Support Workers are the face of Heathcotes Larkrise and, without their commitment to delivering quality care, we would not have achieved an Outstanding rating.”

Previously rated Good, Heathcotes Bridlington supports adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome who may have dual diagnoses and associated complex needs.  The CQC rated the service as Outstanding in the Effective, Caring and Well-Led categories, highlighting the role of Registered Manager, Becki Yardley, in embedding a solid structure of governance and a strong commitment to provide person-centred, high quality care which achieved excellent outcomes for people.

The CQC report praised staff for being passionate about providing a good quality service and extremely skilled in effective communication to ensure people felt supported and relaxed, which impacted on people’s behaviours and ability to build relationships with family and friends. It said they actively supported clients to increase their levels of independence and were creative and innovative at looking for ways to meet individual needs in line with best practice.

Becki, who joined Heathcotes in 2004 and became Registered Manager at Bridlington in 2015, was also delighted with the achievement:

“Everyone at the service is thrilled at the achievement and it’s a testament to the dedication, passion and skill of the staff here – their hard work made this happen. I’ve also learned a lot from senior management – they really back you and support your ideas in finding creative ways to improve the quality of care.”

Brendan Kelly, Group Managing Director at Heathcotes, said:

“Many, many congratulations to my colleagues at Heathcotes Larkrise and Heathcotes Bridlington on achieving an Outstanding rating. Their service exemplifies the standard of care that Heathcotes Group seeks to promote and support at every opportunity. It’s an amazing achievement – less than three per cent of care homes in the UK have an Outstanding rating, so really well done to Ridwan, Becki and their brilliant teams. They should be very proud of themselves. I know I’m very proud of them.”

Chesterfield residents are invited to attend a special community assembly meeting to find out more about the council’s activities for 2020 and plans for the future, including how the council uses the portion of Council Tax it receives from residents to pay for vital services.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday 7 January from 6.30pm at the Town Hall, Rose Hill.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s leader, Councillor Tricia Gilby and chief executive, Huw Bowen, will give a presentation about the key issues and financial pressures facing the borough before hosting a discussion about the 10 per cent of Council Tax bills which is used to pay for more than 50 services provided by Chesterfield Borough Council.

The rest of Council Tax bills pay for services by Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Police and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue.

Residents in Brimington and Staveley also pay for parish and town council services.

Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions of the leader and chief executive as well as Councillor Amanda Serjeant, the council’s deputy leader and Helen Fox, chief finance officer.