- Homecare service
Creative Support - Teesside Services
Assessment report published 3 July 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment 10 March to 14 April 2026.
Creative Support – Teesside Services is a care-at-home service providing personal care to people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and physical disabilities. Not everyone who used the service received support with personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the assessment, 8 people were using the service.
At the last inspection in March 2018, the service was rated good. At this assessment, we found improvements had been made and rated the service as outstanding.
There were 2 registered managers in post. Throughout this report the registered managers will also be referred to as management team.
We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. This statutory guidance is used by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) when making assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people, and providers must have regard to it.
The provider and staff demonstrated exceptional practice across all areas of right support, right care, and right culture. People received highly personalised and empowering care that truly promoted independence, choice, and meaningful outcomes.
People were supported through deeply compassionate, person-centred care that truly valued and enriched their quality of life. Every aspect of support was thoughtfully shaped around their individual needs, wishes, and aspirations. A health professional commented, “Staff consistently demonstrate a person-centred approach and a strong commitment to achieving the best outcomes for individuals.”
The management team had clear aims in providing person-centred care, promoting extremely positive outcomes, and enhancing people’s quality of life. They were continuously looking at ways they could further improve the service, empower people and improve their health and well-being. People were supported by staff who embraced the providers values and were proud to work in such an inclusive environment.
Robust recruitment processes, bespoke training, and regular supervision ensured staff were skilled, knowledgeable, and competent. Staff followed best practice models and guidance, enabling them to support people with a strong understanding of their needs and with compassion. Obstacles were overcome by collaborative working with the person always being the centre of any decision making.
Staff were extremely kind, caring and provided compassionate care at all times. Observations showed people where truly respected as individuals and relationships with staff were built on trust and mutual respect.
Risks were managed effectively while promoting people’s choices and encouraging new experiences. Incidents were reported, reviewed, and used as learning opportunities, with a focus on reduction.
The management team shared learning and always maintained effective communication with professionals and families.
Effective governance systems were in place to monitor and assess the quality and safety of the service, ensuring areas for innovation and continuous improvement were identified. The service ensured people could communicate their needs and wishes in personalised ways, with staff attuned to individual communication styles. The service was particularly creative in presenting information in ways people could understand.
We found people were overwhelmingly positive about the quality of their care. They told us they felt safe and fully involved in planning their care and understood their rights.
People's experience of this service
People consistently described feeling exceptionally safe when receiving support from the service. There was overwhelming confidence in staff, with one person stating, “I always feel confident and safe when they are here.” Relatives echoed this assurance, highlighting the reliability and dependability of care. One relative said, “There haven’t been any late or missed calls, the service is safe and reliable.” Another relative emphasised the professionalism and respect shown by staff, telling us, “All staff treat [person], me and our home with respect and understand boundaries.”
People described highly personalised approaches to managing individual risks, demonstrating a strong commitment to safety alongside independence. One person explained, “My main danger is a risk of falling, so they (staff) keep me safe, for example, assisting with my shower. They keep my flat safe, like making sure my cooker is turned off. Timekeeping is very good and reliability is the main thing for me as I rely on them to support me moving about.”
People were empowered to lead meaningful lives entirely shaped by their own choices, preferences, and goals. Staff were highly skilled at balancing support with the promotion of independence. One person told us, “I really value the visits. I am in control of my own life. I get just the support I need.” Another person shared, “I feel more independent. I feel very happy at the moment and getting the support I need is the reason why.” Relatives described the exceptional ability of staff to motivate people in ways that enhanced their wellbeing. One relative said, “The carers are lovely and [person] will do more for them than me. They get [person] motivated on the days where I can’t.”
Without exception, people and relatives spoke about staff with warmth and genuine appreciation, consistently describing care that went above and beyond expectations. Relationships between people and staff were clearly meaningful and highly valued. A relative told us, “[Person] asks which carer is due to come each day and looks forward to their time with them. All feedback has been positive.” One person reflected, “All the staff are so kind and caring. They go out of their way to make you happy. It is all the little things they do that makes a difference to me.”
Where people were unable to share their views verbally, staff demonstrated exceptional skill in understanding and responding to their needs through alternative communication methods. During the assessment, we attended a craft afternoon, and an evening disco arranged for people receiving personal care. Although some people used non-verbal communication and had limited verbal ability, we were still able to gain a rich and meaningful understanding of their experiences and preferences. Some people used pictorial tools to communicate their wishes. Through careful observation of interactions, body language, and responses to care, alongside feedback from visiting professionals, we developed a highly positive, detailed, and consistent picture of peoples lived experiences.
The service demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting people to remain socially connected and to lead fulfilling lives beyond their home environment. A relative told us, “They take person to an afternoon art session. It’s really valuable as [person] has a friend there and it gives [person] some outside life. This is a big support for me.” During the art session, we directly observed the strength of relationships people had built, including a close friendship between two people who proudly asked staff to photograph them together with their artwork, clearly demonstrating a sense of belonging and joy.
People spoke with genuine affection about both staff and the management team, reflecting a positive, inclusive, and values-driven culture throughout the service. One person told us, “[Managers] are lovely people. They are so kind and caring.”