Support for deaf people 'outstanding' – inspectors

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire Deaf Association Two women wearing bunny ears made from wire and fluffy fabric. They are smiling and standing in a shop.Cambridgeshire Deaf Association
Staff at an organisation helping deaf people to live independently have been given top marks for caring

A care service enabling deaf people to live independently has been awarded an overall "outstanding" rating by the healthcare watchdog.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the Ely Diocesan Association for Deaf People, also known as the Cambridgeshire Deaf Association, to be outstanding in the categories of caring and being responsive, too.

The association said the grading was an "absolutely phenomenal" achievement for the team of carers who were themselves deaf.

The inspection took place between June and December last year.

The CQC said it had found "some areas of governance and oversight" that "required improvement during this assessment".

But it said the areas requiring improvement were acted upon during the assessment timeframe.

The inspection was supported by two independent British Sign Language interpreters.

The report said: "People told us they received safe support from caring staff who knew them well."

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