Optalis celebrates the work of its Wokingham care staff after CQC inspection! CQC inspection says START is GOOD in all categories

Optalis Short Term Assessment and Reablement Team (START) were delighted to receive a “good” CQC rating in all areas. The team have been working hard over the past year to continue to develop and improve the service, despite the challenges and additional pressures faced during the pandemic.

Sameer Kishore, Registered Manager of START said, 

“We are incredibly happy with our inspection report. The team work hard to provide the best possible care and outcomes for the people we support. We've been focusing our efforts on shifting our emphasis away from personal care and toward rehabilitative care, and we are pleased to see that this is reflected in such a positive report and overall rating.”

Inspectors visited the service in September and were impressed with the care and kindness people received. With the report highlighting “People were always placed at the centre of the assessment process and reablement support. People had an active say in their everyday care. Where necessary, the service asked friends, family or other professionals for their opinions to ensure people received the right support in the right way.”

A family carer shared feedback on her recent experience, she said 

“The START team have made an unbearable time bearable by treating, my husband throughout his illness, with unfailing good humour, kindness and, above all else, showing him respect and treating him with dignity. I cannot thank them enough for answering my endless questions and always, always making me feel better every single day.”

The inspectors also noted several areas that had improved since the last inspection in 2019, including enhanced care plans and improvements to how people are supported to manage risks and medication management. The team have also implemented regular quality audits and a 'You Said, We Did' approach, where any feedback about possible improvements is used to empower changes.

The team are particularly proud of the work they continue to do to build their knowledge and skills. Under the leadership of Sameer, who is an Occupational Therapist, the advancement of skills was noted in the report “Staff were well supported by the registered manager to develop advanced skills and knowledge in assessment and reablement processes. The support provided included supervision, teaching and team working approaches with other professionals to deliver support.”

Sameer continues: 

“Our focus for the team is to improve the care and support for people through continuous learning. We undertook a 'collaborative reablement' project last year in response to Covid. The pandemic highlighted the critical need to facilitate hospital discharges and maximise people's outcomes once they return home. Supporting team members to increase their skills was a critical part of this project, with some becoming trusted assessors. Team members are able to call on the knowledge and skills of each other, from our OTs to Physios to Reablement staff who have many, many years of experience. We’re lucky to have a highly skilled multidisciplinary team where everyone works together to provide best outcomes for the individual, and our CQC report reflects their hard work and commitment to continually develop and improve.”