- Care home
Quality Reliable Care Limited
Assessment report published 20 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Quality Reliable Care Limited is a care home. There were 14 people using the service at the time of the assessment.
Quality Reliable Care Limited also known as Valley View Barn is a residential care home providing accommodation for up to 14 people who require nursing or personal care. The service is registered to provide support to adults living with acquired brain injuries and people living with learning disabilities and autistic people. 14 people were living at the service at the time of our assessment.
We carried out this assessment on 5 October 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.
We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
Staff followed the correct procedures when reporting and recording accidents and incidents. They knew the importance of prioritising people’s safety and comfort and letting the registered manager know what had happened. If themes and trends were identifiable then this was shared with all staff and processes put in place to minimise the chance or recurrence. Staff were able to tell us what incidents would amount to a safeguarding and the steps they would take to protect people. A whistleblowing policy was in place and staff were similarly confident to use this process if needed. Known risks to people were recorded with clear instructions to staff about prevention and managing any escalation of risk. Positive behaviour support plans were in place for people which described clearly how people may present when calm or during periods of heightened anxiety and the steps staff needed to take to support people. The environment was safe, free from trip or any other obvious hazards. Fire risk assessments had been completed and everyone had a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEPs) in place, describing the support needed during an emergency. Staff had been recruited safely, went through an extensive induction and were further supported with ongoing supervision and team meetings. Staff training was up to date with regular refresher training scheduled in all key areas. Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely with separate protocols in place for as and when required (PRN) medicines.
The registered manager carried out a pre-assessment process for people referred to or those wanting to move to the service. Meetings were held with people, their loved ones and input was sought from other professionals where relevant. Care was taken to ensure people’s care and support needs could be met and that they would fit into the service and get along with other people living there. Recognised tools for measuring people’s ongoing health were used for example, the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST), to monitor people’s nutritional needs and Waterlow scores, to measure people’s susceptibility to developing pressure sores. Most people living at the service had health needs that required ongoing monitoring and support, for example, epilepsy. These were partly managed by medicines, that were subject to regular reviews but also staff attention to people’s presentation and acting quickly if symptoms were developing or worsening. Staff knew the significance of gaining consent form people before carrying out any task or activity. A staff member told us, “I will always ask first. We get to understand some people’s expressions and hand movements and how this can mean ‘yes’ or ‘no’”.
Care and support were provided in a kind, compassionate and understanding way by staff. We saw several interactions between staff and people that were supportive, with calm conversations taking place, making people feel comfortable. People’s dignity was protected by staff. People had varying levels of independence but everyone was supported and encouraged to achieve things for themselves within a risk assessment framework.A staff member said, “We always encourage people to do what they can for themselves. We have a complete range of needs here.”
People’s needs were at the centre of care provision. There was an emphasis on people’s independence and this was further reflected in the way care plans were presented. People’s likes, dislikes and preferred routines were respected by a staffing team that knew people well and were able to respond to people and support them to live their best lives possible. People had a voice at the service and were able to make their feelings known regarding any concerns or issues they had. Information was available to people in various accessible formats and these were used to support people to communicate. The registered manager was passionate about people being able to fulfil their dreams and aspirations. People had goals, targets, short and long term ambitions and the registered manager and their team helped them achieve these aspirations. Activities included working in a charity shop, regular swimming sessions and visiting an airport.
The registered manager put people at the centre of any plans for developing the service in the future. Improving people’s quality of life and supporting them to live safely and to realise their life ambitions was central to any plans. The registered manager was highly regarded by their staffing team who all told us that they felt supported, achieved a positive work life balance and that coming to work was a pleasure for them. Effective auditing and quality assurance processes were in place and overseen by the registered manager. Meaningful actions were recorded and these were followed up at subsequent audits and reviews. Any patterns were highlighted and shared with all staff. There was a culture of continuous learning at the service.
People's experience of this service
During our visit to the service we spoke with people and made observations of the interactions between people and staff. We later spoke with relatives whose loved ones lived at the service. People told us they felt safe and that they were protected from avoidable harm. A person said, “The staff are wonderful. I feel very safe.” A relative added, “Staff go above and beyond regularly to make sure he is safe and well.” People told us they felt comfortable living at the service and that they were able to move around safely both inside and outside. The interactions we saw between people and staff were always supportive and dignified. Staff knew people well and we saw people smiling and engaging with the team at various points during the day. People said they got to know the staff well and that that helped with their own trust and confidence. A person told us, “Staff look after me well. We have never had a disagreement. If I had a problem I know I can speak to them.”
People were treated in a dignified way. For example, some needed support at mealtimes. The support was not obtrusive but rather helping when needed with staff always being present to wipe areas clean for people’s comfort and dignity. People’s independence was promoted. A relative told us, “They have made incredible progression. They go out a lot, they volunteer, go to football matches. They have level of independence that is encouraged. Does some cooking, cleaning and washing.” People told us they were involved in regular resident meetings where everyone was listened to. If they could not attend then easy to read minutes were made available to people.