Maintaining 100% Compliance in all CQC registered services.

Following the latest inspection of our Independent Living Service in Maidenhead in October 2021, Optalis enter 2022 with a “Good” CQC rating across all registered services. This news follows the Short-Term Assessment and Rehabilitation team inspection in August 2021, where the team were delighted to receive a “Good” CQC rating in all areas. 

Optalis offers a range of care and support services, including Residential Dementia Care, Supported Living Service and Extra Care, offering local residents a variety of services to meet different needs and life events.

Optalis have adopted an approach of continual improvement across its services, with the implementation of a strengthened Governance and Quality Assurance Team in 2017, who began work to improve quality in all services – those registered with CQC as well as day support and supported living. While the inspections commended the care and support provided, the organisation had to improve the systems and structure.

This work led to services improving across the board rapidly. Within nine months, Optalis registered services jumped from 40% compliant to 90% by December 2018. Beating the national average of 85% of providers rated Good or Outstanding. In April 2019, the Wokingham Independent Living Service achieved an "Outstanding" rating in the care component of their inspection. Services across the board have continued to work to reach and maintain the goal of 100% compliance and achieved this in August 2021.

Kirsty Skrzypczak, Governance and Quality Assurance Manager, explains the process. 

“The teams have embraced the training sessions, and we’ve embedded a ‘lessons learned' framework. Our teams have adopted a regular audit programme to monitor and review services, share best practices, and continually work toward high standards. We are not just trying to attain a “Good” rating; we’re always looking for ways to be outstanding. This progress has only worked because we are so lucky here at Optalis to have a team who all want to deliver the best possible care and support to our customers. Every team member has supported our approach looking for ways to do things better continually, and we see the benefits."

Helen Woodland, Director of Provider Services, sums up. 

"Our success is mainly attributable to the hard effort of all our team members; we know all too well that if just one piece isn’t in place, the entire system could fail. These recent inspections have demonstrated that each team member is dedicated, hardworking, and driven to provide their all. However, these results won’t mean that we’ll sit back and relax; at Optalis, we are continually searching for ways to improve. We will continue to work with our employees and the individuals we support to identify new ways to improve Optalis."