Creative Support - Teesside Services

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment, and support achieved positive outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment, the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently better than expected compared to similar services. People’s feedback described it as exceptional and distinctive.

This service scored 92 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People received exceptionally effective, person-centred care because the management team and staff completed thorough, holistic assessments before support began. These were sensitively paced, involved people, families and professionals, and ensured people were thoughtfully matched with staff, building strong relationships and tailored support from the outset. For example, upon an initial assessment a person expressed their love of football and attending matches. The registered managers took this into consideration when arranging staff support to ensure the person could enjoy their hobby with a staff member who shared the same interest.

Care plans were reviewed regularly and updated promptly, ensuring care remained responsive and consistently achieved positive outcomes.

Communication support for people, as well as communication between staff and professionals was outstanding. Individual needs were clearly documented, with bespoke communication passports developed for each person alongside external professionals and families. Staff received tailored training to ensure communication for each person promoted understanding, choice, and independence. For example, staff recognised the huge benefit learning Makaton would have for one person. Staff worked in partnership with relevant professionals to learn Makaton alongside the person. This allowed staff to promote the use of Makaton whilst supporting the person with their learning journey. Although early in development, this demonstrated, person-centred communication approaches to achieve positive outcomes.

Staff received specialist training to understand how people expressed emotions as a form of communication, demonstrating a highly person-centred and skilled approach to care. This led to significant improvements in outcomes for people, including a notable reduction in one person’s distress as staff consistently responded to them in a more effective and meaningful way.

Incidents were not only reviewed but used as opportunities for continuous learning, with detailed reflective debriefs informing tailored support strategies. This proactive approach ensured care was continually adapted to meet people’s changing needs, resulting in improved wellbeing and more positive experiences.

Observations showed staff had a deep, compassionate understanding of people’s needs as well as how they expressed their emotions. This meant staff responded promptly, appropriately and with a calmness when supporting people, which was appropriate to each person’s needs and situation. We observed gentle, consent‑based touch to provide reassurance and reduce people’s distress. This reflected a truly person‑centred culture, where staff knew people exceptionally well and responded to their individual needs appropriately, reducing incidents and improving wellbeing. This demonstrated outstanding practice in assessing and meeting people’s needs both in the moment and long term

The management team evidenced an outstanding commitment to person-centred care, with leaders embedding a strong culture of partnership, innovation, and continuous improvement. Practice went beyond expected standards, demonstrating excellence in personalised care planning, consistency in delivery, and a proactive, evidence-informed approach that resulted in

A professional highlighted the provider’s sector-leading approach, stating: “Creative Support collaborate effectively with other care at home providers, sharing best practice, opportunities, and activity options for people accessing services. They demonstrate a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for the individuals they support.”

The staff team demonstrated an exceptional commitment to delivering evidence-based, person-centred care through proactive medicines management and advocating for people’s needs. A long-term prescription of a medicine that can have sedative side effects, where the original clinical rationale was unclear, was thoroughly reviewed in partnership with the GP. Recognising the person’s stability and absence of seizure activity over some years, a carefully planned and monitored reduction was implemented in line with best practice. This multidisciplinary, risk-aware approach ensured the person remained safe throughout, with no adverse effects identified.

The review led to significant positive outcomes, including increased alertness, improved engagement, and greater participation in meaningful daily activities. This reflected a strong commitment to STOMP principles, reducing unnecessary medication and enhancing the person’s overall health, independence, and quality of life.

People consistently experienced exceptionally high standards of person-centred care. Staff demonstrated a thorough understanding and skilled application of evidence-based frameworks, including Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, ensuring care was inclusive, empowering, and actively promoted people’s human rights. The culture of the service strongly emphasised freedom from unnecessary restriction, with leaders modelling and embedding values that placed people’s autonomy, dignity, and independence at the heart of practice.

Staff were supported to excel through high-quality training, reflective supervision, and strong leadership oversight. This enabled them to deliver care that was not only safe and effective, but also consistently compassionate, respectful, and responsive to individual needs and preferences.

The provider maintained a comprehensive person-specific training programme, which was regularly reviewed to reflect people’s individual changing needs and emerging best practice. Staff completed mandatory and specialist training, including learning disability and autism awareness training, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), and bespoke physical intervention training. This ensured a highly skilled workforce capable of delivering consistent, trauma-informed, and tailored care that significantly enhanced people’s quality of life.

A professional further reinforced the strength of leadership and values within the service, stating:
“[Management and staff] demonstrate a passion to deliver the best care and support and share with their peers at meetings how they actively challenge stakeholder decisions that they feel will have a negative impact on the lives of the people they care for.” This reflected a strong, values-driven culture of advocacy and accountability, where staff confidently championed the rights and best interests of the people they supported.

The management team and staff demonstrated outstanding collaborative working, ensuring seamless, person-centred support across services. Assessments were effectively shared, so people only needed to tell their story once, promoting continuity and positive experiences.

Staff demonstrated outstanding practice through effective teamwork and strong collaboration with hospital professionals to ensure a person received safe, personalised care when they required surgery. Staff acted as confident advocates, working closely with hospital teams to understand and respond to the person’s anxiety around surgery. Together, they developed a tailored, person-centred plan, including reasonable adjustments such as sedation and prioritised access to treatment. This coordinated approach ensured the person felt supported and was able to successfully attend hospital and undergo their operation. The impact was highly positive and measurable. The person avoided unnecessary delays in treatment, experienced reduced anxiety and distress, and had improved health outcomes. They also developed greater confidence in accessing hospital care in the future. This demonstrated how strong, collaborative working between care staff and hospital teams significantly improved safety, wellbeing, and the overall experience of care for the person.

Staff described positive working relationships with colleagues across the service and with external professionals, such as community nurses, general practitioners (GPs) and internal Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) teams. Records showed timely referrals, joint planning and collaborative problem‑solving when people required additional input, helping to prevent delays in care. This joined‑up approach supported continuity, reduced the risk of errors and ensured people experienced smooth, well‑coordinated care.

Emergency documentation was comprehensive and embedded, enabling swift, safe responses in urgent situations.

Staff and management consistently demonstrated strong advocacy, working collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes for people. A professional told us, “[Management and staff], demonstrate a passion to deliver the best care and support, and share with their peers at meetings how they actively challenge stakeholder decisions that they feel will have a negative impact of the lives of the people they care for.”

Another professional said, “Creative Support work proactively and positively with the Adult Social Care Transformation Team across a wide range of key areas. They consistently engage in Local Authority initiatives, regularly attending Provider Forums to receive important updates and explore new opportunities to strengthen their service. They also participate in focused sessions such as Safeguarding Adults Week Provider Session and our Learning Disability Network.”

The management team demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting people to maximise their health, wellbeing, independence, choice, and control. Practice was consistently proactive and grounded in evidence-based approaches, with a strong emphasis on health promotion, prevention, and early intervention.

Staff recognised the importance of encouraging people to live a healthier lifestyle and the positive outcomes this could achieve. As a result, a ‘Year of Living Well’ calendar was introduced. People had access to and used this yearlong calendar which had ideas and examples of healthy habits, sleeping well, healthy heart, Mo-Mental health (awareness of mental health) and more. The calendars were personalised for each person, taking into consideration their current health, any medical conditions as well as their interests and hobbies. People had been supported to plan their health goals, which were also recorded so people had a sense of achievement when they met specific targets. In addition, each person was supported to produce a personalised journal which contained tips and activities they could do to help reach their goals. This approach helped people increase their understanding, take ownership and be in control of their lives.

Staff were highly skilled at supporting people to develop in all aspects of their lives, recognising the positive impact this had on people’s well-being as well as their overall health. Developing practical skills was promoted with staff at every opportunity. Together, people and staff had created guidance tools such as cooking videos with subtitles and step by step instructions for others to follow to encourage people to cook healthy food independently. This easy to follow resource and hands on practice boosted confidence, independence, and motivation for people to live healthier lives. This in turn promoted improvement in people’s physical and mental health.

Staff were skilled at truly understanding people as individuals. It was recognised that one person would benefit from attending more social groups to build their confidence, social circle and improve their health. Staff worked with the person and relevant professionals to ensure they were provided with additional funded hours to enable this to happen. This approach had a massive impact on the persons quality of life. Their fitness and mobility had improved and there had been an overall reduction in symptoms relating to the person’s health condition.

People received highly personalised support that promoted their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. Care plans were detailed and holistic, addressing medical needs alongside routines, preferences, and what mattered most to each person. For example, plans included strategies for preventing falls, supporting mental health, and maintaining independence, as well as clear instructions for nutrition, hydration, and skin integrity.

The management team demonstrated commitment to monitoring outcomes and driving improvement. Systems were robust, proactive, and embedded in everyday practice.

The management team had oversight tools that tracked incidents, medicine errors, missed visits, and feedback in real time. This enabled registered managers to identify trends quickly and take decisive action. Follow-up actions were logged on an improvement plan, ensuring accountability and transparency. Progress was monitored through graphs and audits, with managers signing off completed actions.

Care plans were regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changing needs, with multidisciplinary input and family involvement. This had led to measurable positive outcomes, such as preventing pressure sores, reducing falls, and maintaining emotional wellbeing. People told us they were safe and supported.

The management team demonstrated through our conversations and examples of their systems of process, that monitoring and improvement were not reactive but continuous and embedded. The provider used data intelligently, learned from mistakes, and celebrated success, ensuring people received care that was consistently safe, effective, and person-centred.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and how to apply this in their roles. Staff had completed training in the Mental Capacity Act. One staff member said, “Our training on MCA is fantastic. It was so informative and has given me more insight and confidence.” People were supported to make decisions, with consent sought and recorded, and families involved in best interest decisions. Staff recognised and managed any restrictions appropriately.

As part of this assessment, we joined in the crafts session with people and staff. Staff continually asked peoples permission, gave people choices and were patient in allowing people time to respond. A person told us, “When they care for me, they tell me what they are going to do, and they check with me that I agree and understand.”