A SERVICE that helps people facing a “social care crisis” has been judged outstanding.

The Bradford Enablement and Support Team (BEST) is a Bradford Council run service that provides personal care and support to people at home when they are discharged from hospital or in response to a social care crisis.

The service, which supports between 200 and 300 people at any one time, was recently inspected by the Care Quality Commission. As a result of that inspection the service was given the highest possible rating.

The Outstanding judgement is an improvement from the last time the service was inspected - it received a good rating in 2017.

Based in Cottingley Cornerstones, the service provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats, and the CQC report says it has helped reduce pressure on hospital services across the Bradford District.

The report also said it helped people who may normally be confined to their homes access a range of community services.

Five Rise Nursing Home, Bingley, rated outstanding by CQC

The service was judged in five individual categories, and was rated outstanding for being a caring service and a well led service.

The other three categories were judged good.

The inspection report says: “The leadership of the service was excellent. 

“People were extremely positive about the service and told us they would have no hesitation in recommending it.

“The management team were passionate about the service and were  continuously looking at ways to improve people’s experiences. They worked in partnership with other health and social care agencies and this collaborative work had benefited people across the whole Bradford district. Examples of this included reduced admissions to hospital and improved support for people receiving end of life care at home. 

“The service placed a strong emphasis on enablement, supporting people to live fulfilling lives and be part of their local community.

“Staff actively encouraged and supported people to be as independent as possible. 

“We found numerous examples of staff supporting people to improve their quality of life by supporting them to access local services.

“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.”

Bev Maybury, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for Health and Wellbeing, said:  “This is a fantastic result for the Council and  Bradford Enablement Support Service that provides care and support to around 250 people in the Bradford district each week.

“Being rated Outstanding by the CQC means a great deal to all the staff within the service and shows the work we have done recently to ensure the highest standards of care possible for our residents.

“We are working hard, along with other NHS and health care providers, to ensure everyone is supported to live a happy, healthy life at home and the BEST team provide a vital service at a time when our service users need that support to adjust to life after a hospital stay or personal crisis.”