Norman Lamb backs CMG in Driving Up Quality of care

Care Minister Norman Lamb has said he is ‘delighted’ with CMG’s latest initiative, which ensures the learning disabilities services provider continues to put the people it supports at the very centre of care.

In 2013, Mr. Lamb, CMG and a group of other leading care providers developed and launched the Driving Up Quality Code to ensure the shocking revelations of Winterbourne View would never be repeated. The Code outlines five standards that ensure high quality learning disability care provision.

A year on, CMG hosted its first self-assessment day, where service users, their families, staff and care commissioners were invited to come together to provide full and frank feedback on how CMG is addressing the five areas of the Code.

Rather than simply filling out forms, CMG wanted attendees to give their views in an open and engaging manner, and held a series of creative workshops as forum for this.  To give feedback on the support given by CMG staff, for example, service users jointly produced short films, which overcame the challenges some have in expressing themselves verbally.

As a result of the self-assessment, CMG has incorporated all of the views provided into a comprehensive report and action plan on how the organisation is addressing the Driving Up Quality Code and how it will maintain the very highest standards in future. This report was then sent to Mr. Lamb, who praised the initiative.

Norman Lamb MP, Care and Support Services Minister said:

“I fully endorsed the Driving Up Quality Code when it was launched last year and I am delighted to see CMG is taking the right steps to make sure it is being implemented.

“Initiatives like the code are making a real difference and helping to drive up standards across the sector.  It’s great to see CMG taking a lead, empowering users of services and their families to deliver the highest standards of care.

“Undertaking this full and frank self-assessment demonstrates CMG’s commitment to placing service users at the centre of care.”

Peter Kinsey, Chief Executive of CMG said:

“The people we support are always our absolute priority. We wanted everyone who has a say in the care they receive to have an input on how we are going about it as an organisation.

“Whilst the report shows we are successfully implementing the Driving Up Quality Code across the organisation, we must keep evolving to maintain these high standards.”