"Very Good" Care Inspectorate Report
Hjaltland Housing Association has recently received a positive endorsement of it’s Housing Support Services from the Care Inspectorate, following an unannounced inspection in October.
The Association provides enabling support to tenants in sheltered accommodation and those embarking on their first tenancies, using a person-centred approach to meet the specific needs of each tenant.
The inspection focused on two service areas;
- How well do we support people’s wellbeing?
- How good is our leadership?
In evaluating quality, the Care Inspectorate utilises a six-point sliding scale, ranging from 1) Unsatisfactory to 6) Excellent. The areas scrutinised received an overall rating of 5 - Very good, which is defined as;
‘An evaluation of very good will apply to performance that demonstrates major strengths in supporting positive outcomes for people. There are very few areas for improvement. Those that do exist will have minimal adverse impact on people’s experiences and outcomes. While opportunities are taken to strive for excellence within a culture of continuous improvement, performance evaluated as very good does not require significant adjustment.’
The final report concluded; ‘We observed staff engaging with people. It was clear from these interactions that staff were mindful of key values, always treated people with dignity, respect, empathy and appropriate compassion. This meant that people were valued and accepted. There was a positive culture and ethos of continuous improvement and development. This was led by the management team at the housing association. We met a respectful and supportive team who shared the aims and values of the service.’
The Association’s Head of Housing & Customer Services Ian Bray said; ‘The core function of our Housing Support Service is to promote the independence of our tenants, through the provision of low-level support to help them achieve their personal goals. Whilst this report is welcomed and does provide us with independent assurance that we are delivering a high-quality service, we will continue to use feedback from tenants as our main barometer and will continue to consider ways in which we can further improve the services we offer.’