Regulator praises personalised care and leadership at local supported living service
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has awarded an overall outstanding rating to Mansfield Supported Living following its first inspection in June. The service, run by Eden Supported Living Limited, provides supported living for adults, including people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
Inspectors found the service supported six people across five properties at the time of the assessment. The CQC carried out the inspection using its Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture framework, which assesses whether services deliver respect, dignity, equality, choice and access to community life for autistic people and those with learning disabilities.
- Service provider: Eden Supported Living Limited
- People supported at inspection: 6
- Properties: 5
- CQC rating: Outstanding across all five key questions
The CQC rated the service outstanding for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors highlighted staff understanding of each person’s history, communication style and personal goals as central to the high quality of support offered.
"When we inspected Mansfield Supported Living, we found it stood out as a genuinely exceptional service, where the quality of care was making a real and lasting difference to people’s lives."
The report highlights tangible outcomes for people using the service. Inspectors noted examples where consistent, tailored support enabled significant changes, including the development of meaningful verbal communication for someone previously assessed as non-verbal, and another person moving from a reclusive lifestyle to accessing the community every day.
Positive risk-taking and community access
A particular focus of the inspection was the service’s approach to positive risk-taking. The CQC found staff supported people to pursue holidays, new activities and ambitions while managing safety, which was reported to boost confidence and independence. The leadership team was also commended for creating a culture in which staff felt supported, listened to and able to raise concerns.
| Inspection area | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Outstanding |
| Effective | Outstanding |
| Caring | Outstanding |
| Responsive | Outstanding |
| Well-led | Outstanding |
The inspection report also emphasises collaborative working with healthcare professionals and specialist services to meet people’s needs. That joined-up approach was described as helping to shape highly individualised plans and enabled staff to tailor support effectively for each person.
For Mansfield, the rating is an endorsement of a small, local service delivering outcomes that regulators consider exemplary. Supported living services are an important part of the local health and social care landscape, offering an alternative to residential care by helping people live independently in the community.
While the inspection covered a small number of people and properties, the CQC’s findings will be welcomed by families and advocates who seek community-based, person-centred support. The report sets a benchmark for providers operating in Mansfield and the wider East Midlands about the practical application of the Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture standards.
Local commissioning bodies and advocacy groups monitor CQC ratings closely as they inform commissioning decisions and public confidence in services. An outstanding judgement can influence contract discussions, staff recruitment and the choices available to people and families seeking supported living arrangements.
The CQC’s deputy director of adult social care in the East Midlands, Greg Rielly, said the inspectors were struck by the depth of staff knowledge about people’s lives and the positive, person-centred culture at the service.
