Care service near Haywards Heath rated good by inspectors

Harry Gibb, 20, accesses the domiciliary care provided by Chailey Heritage Foundation, situated near Haywards Heath.

The charity, which supports children and young people with complex difficulties, launched its Pathways service in 2017.

It said there was an urgent need for better support for families with children and young people who have complex disabilities and health needs.

It now provides support to those still living in their own home but who require extra help on a daily basis.

Pathways has officially been judged good after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

Harry from Crawley has been using the service for more than one year and his greatest loves are music, dance and drama.

Rob Hambrook, head of community operations and nominated individual for Pathways, said Harry enjoys sensory dance and he can have weekly one to one sessions so he can fully express himself singing at full volume.

He said: “Taking part in drama sessions has allowed Harry to develop his social interaction and he is now comfortably able to stay for the whole session.

“In the past, due to his complex behavioural needs, it hasn’t been easy for Harry’s parents to find a day service where he is settled and happy.

“He needs space to move around as well as somewhere quieter to relax.

“He also needs a team of skilled staff to meet his needs and we are able to give him two to one support.

“Using our Pathways service has enabled the whole family more flexibility and time for themselves, knowing Harry is being well supported.

“When we asked Harry how he felt about coming to Chailey, he said ‘happy, happy’ with great joy and enthusiasm.”

Mr Hambrook said he was thrilled with the inspectors’ findings.

He added: “I am delighted that the hard work of the whole team is recognised in this report.

“The rating of good reflects the fantastic support they all provide each and every day.

“The highlight was the feedback from the families commenting so positively on different aspects of the service.

“We look forward to continuing to develop and grow the service so that everyone who wants to access it can do and with the right level of support for themselves and/or their young person.”

Communicating with families formed part of the health inspection, and the comments about staff at Chailey Heritage Foundation were positive.

One person’s relative said: “Staff we have had are lovely. They come into people’s homes, they are very mindful of that.

“They ask about taking shoes off, fitting in with what you need to do. They are flexible and cheerful.

“They seem to choose staff for that. You can tell a ‘Pathways’ person, they are calm and friendly.”

Staff skills were also acknowledged with relatives saying staff are ‘very well trained and continually doing courses’.

Inspectors said that staff consistently recognised and promoted people’s ability to make their own decisions.

This, in turn, was positively recognised by health care professionals and other people involved in supporting the service.

The report also described how staff ‘spoke proudly about their roles and the service’”.

One member of staff said: “I just think it is really wonderful and unique.”

The charity hopes the service will continue to support more and more families and it needs to recruit more support workers.

For more see www.chf.org.uk/careers.

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