Updated 18 May 2026
Date of assessment – 28th May – 28th July 2026. Business Hub, Simms Cross is a supported living service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. The service is operated by PossAbilities, a social enterprise that provides support for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health needs and dementia.
At the time of our assessment, 64 people were receiving support across a number of supported living locations within the Halton area.
We gave the provider notice of the assessment because the service provides personal care to people living in supported living settings, and we wanted to ensure the registered manager, staff and people using the service were available to speak with us during the assessment process.
As part of the assessment, we visited the provider's office and 4 supported living properties where people lived. The remainder of the assessment activity was carried out remotely through the review of records and information provided.
The assessment was prompted due to an aged rating. We carried out a comprehensive assessment and assessed a total of 33 quality statements from all the key questions we ask; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
We 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, choice, independence, and access to local communities that most people take for granted.
We spoke with people in their homes and with staff, people’s relatives and health and social care professionals who were involved in people’s care and treatment.
At our last inspection we rated this service good. At this inspection, the service has been rated good.
The provider and registered managers were committed to improving the lives of people using the service, with a clear vision of how to achieve this using innovative ideas and strategies. The provider worked hard to challenge stereotypes, provide new ways to engage with people and consistently checked processes were enabling, relevant, and made sense for people.
People had been supported by the same staff for many years and staff had appropriate training for their role. Leaders throughout the organisation used different ways to engage with staff, ensuring they felt supported, appreciated and their voice was used to shape change and address concerns that were holding them back from doing the best job for the people they supported.
The provider demonstrated a strong learning culture, using events, incidents and feedback as opportunities to reflect, learn and improve. There was clear and consistent evidence that lessons learned were shared openly across the service, with actions identified, implemented and reviewed to drive continuous improvement. Staff were encouraged to reflect on practice and contribute to learning, helping to strengthen service quality and improve outcomes for people receiving support. The provider actively sought people’s views through a range of methods and used this feedback to inform change, ensuring the service reflected what people wanted and valued.
We found the provider had clear governance structures with a comprehensive range of audits used to effectively monitor performance, manage risks and lead improvement.
The provider gave people opportunities to learn about a range of topics, helping them to make informed choices about their health, understand and manage risks, and engage more fully with their local community and wider social care networks, including through involvement with the local authority.
People’s care plans were written with them and reflected their views, preferences and included the feedback of people who knew them well. Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure updates were included and people were able to set goals and aspirations for their wellbeing.