The City of Wolverhampton Council's in-house short breaks service, Ernest Bold, has been judged to be Outstanding by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission.
Ernest Bold is a regulated service providing overnight support for adults with a learning disability. It can support up to eight people at any one time and provides specialist equipment, adapted facilities and highly personalised support to meet assessed needs and to maximise independence and choice. The service also plays a vital role in helping to support families and carers to continue in their caring role.
Inspectors visited Ernest Bold last month and found the service to be performing exceptionally well. The service was rated Outstanding for Caring and Well led, and Good for Safe, Effective and Responsive, resulting in an overall judgment of Outstanding. Inspectors found that people using the service received exceptional, person centred and proactive care, even though their stays were often short.
The consistent approach taken by staff promoted independence, positive outcomes, and meaningful improvements in people’s quality of life when they returned home. This also led to improved experiences for families and carers. People and their relatives spoke very positively about all aspects of the service, describing staff as 'caring', 'friendly' and 'welcoming', and expressing confidence in both the care provided and the leadership of the service.
Inspectors noted that people were always treated with dignity and respect and were genuinely valued as individuals. Leadership at Ernest Bold was also described as a significant strength. The inspectors found 'the positive vision, values and culture of the organisation were embraced by everyone who worked there.
The impact of this culture and the extraordinary support given to people was valued by them, their relatives, staff and other professionals.' Staff told inspectors they felt well supported, encouraged and proud to be part of the team, with one quoted as saying: “It’s a lovely place to work.
“We are a really good team, all aiming for the same positive outcomes for people.” Councillor Paula Brookfield, the council's Cabinet Member for Adults, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this Outstanding inspection outcome for Ernest Bold.
"The Care Quality Commission report is a powerful reflection of the dedication, compassion and professionalism of the staff team, and of the difference their work makes to people’s lives and to families who rely on short breaks support. I would like to sincerely thank the registered manager, Michelle Holdcroft, and everyone at Ernest Bold for their hard work.” Amanda Lyndon, CQC’s deputy director of adult social care for the West Midlands, said: “When we inspected Ernest Bold, we found an exceptional service which provided consistent, person-centred and proactive support to people, regardless of the short periods of time they were there.
“People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion and developed strong relationships with staff, who respected their privacy and dignity. The home was purpose built and fitted with equipment to meet people’s needs. It was great to see how staff had personalised the home, such as featuring canvas photographs of people who used the service in the communal area.
“Staff also involved people, who had helped name all the bedrooms after different flowers. We saw how staff actively promoted people’s independence and ensured positive outcomes for people. For example, one person told staff they felt conscious due to their appearance. Staff worked sensitively with the person and their family to identify a salon the person now attends regularly for treatments.
“This had a positive impact on the person and helped to increase their confidence. It was clear that staff worked hard to improve the quality of people’s lives when they returned to their own homes, which in turn improved experiences for their families. This commitment was mirrored by leaders who cared about and promoted the wellbeing of staff, supporting and enabling them to always deliver person-centred care.
“Overall, staff and leaders should be incredibly proud of the culture they have created to ensure people get the very best care outcomes and certainly deserve the hugely positive feedback we received from people and their families.”
