Becoming one of a tiny number of businesses nationally to secure IiP Platinum status at the first time of assessment, Ariya Neuro Care is proud of its role in delivering outstanding care to ABI service users while also helping to raise the bar for health and social care workers. NR Times meets the company keen to push the boundaries of excellence
For most businesses, the thought of being assessed by independent regulators during the COVID-19 pandemic would be something that would fill them with dread – but for Ariya Neuro Care, it was something they actively sought.
And their confidence in their offering has proved to be entirely correct, with Ariya securing the Platinum award from Investors in People (IiP) at the very first time of assessment – becoming one of a handful of companies from any sector to secure such a feat.
The company, founded six years ago, operates a supported living service for ABI service users across South Yorkshire with two residential transitional services in Rotherham and Barnsley. Its community programme and seven-bed Clifton Court site in Rotherham were both rated Outstanding by CQC at the first time of assessment – but with its site in Barnsley opening in early March 2020, no inspection has been possible due to the ongoing impact and restrictions of COVID-19.
However, keen to demonstrate its unfaltering commitment to the highest standards for service users and their families, which continued despite the unprecedented challenges brought by the pandemic, Ariya invited scrutiny from IiP to independently confirm the quality of their service.
Lucy Fallon and Paul Constable, who founded Ariya after lengthy careers working in health and social care, believe their award is testament to the outstanding work of their team, whose development they continue to invest in.
“We weren’t being inspected by the CQC during the pandemic so we thought it would be good to get an external benchmark and see things we could improve on, as well as to celebrate the work of our staff,” says Lucy.
“We were absolutely committed to maintaining and improving our quality and standards, we didn’t just want to firefight. We felt if we dropped the standards during lockdown, we’d have to work even harder afterwards to pick it up.
“When we were being assessed, we were asked what we think our difference is. Anyone can say they are a good company to work for, but we really value our staff as professional people and support them as such.
“Health and social care is often undervalued but these people are behind the delivery of really amazing services and they deserve to be invested in and not to be treated as a commodity, or seen as just a number. Often, these people don’t get the respect they deserve, but health and social care is very skilled work.
“We have a really strong emphasis on our people and the development of our team, and that is what we believe has made the difference. As care providers, we all have a role to play in raising the bar.”
With an 80-strong team working across South Yorkshire both in the community and in its two residential centres, Ariya’s service sees senior clinicians working with a team of social care workers to ensure its ABI service users are supported in their ongoing rehabilitation.
For Lucy, who was inspired to establish Ariya with husband Paul after wanting more freedom from the restrictions of working in corporate care, the creation of a strong and committed team was fundamental from the start.
“We wanted to focus our energy into providing local bespoke services, starting in supported living services and then moving into transitional community rehabilitation, as there was a real need for those kind of services – and the quality of your team is absolutely vital in delivering that,” says Lucy.
“Paul and I have both worked in national jobs in corporates and we recognise the importance of valuing your team and creating the right ethos. From the start, we’ve made sure people have enough off-rota time, a lot of services are too under-resourced to do that, but we want our team to be able to do their jobs.
“The danger in health and social care is that because we talk a lot about services being under-resourced, then it’s seen as being OK to be a bit mediocre – but that shouldn’t be the case, and if you look after your people, it is absolutely possible to have an exceptional team.”
The willingness of the Ariya team to go the extra mile was highlighted during the pandemic, with everyone pulling together to deliver services as routinely as possible, as well as ensuring its new transitional rehabilitation service in Barnsley could open its doors to new clients.
“We were blessed with the timing that the building work in Barnsley was complete, it was just some of the cosmetic work like the tarmac not being entirely finished, so we could support the neuro wards in the hospitals who needed placements,” says Lucy.
“We went very quickly into lockdown after opening, and also has some of the families in our bubble so we could be sure their loved ones were as settled as possible. Our staff were very socially sensible and we were able to deliver consistency, which was down to their dedication and the sacrifices they made.
“But self-isolation did of course cause some pressure points – I remember at one point we suddenly had 22 shifts to cover, but within a couple of hours we had a plan in place to cover it. We all did our bit, we were all willing to muck in, and Paul and I did shifts along the way.
“I think because we’ve always ensured our staff weren’t doing ridiculous hours in the first place, they weren’t already on their knees when the pandemic hit, which is the situation a lot of providers faced.
“I do think we all have a role to play in raising the bar in health and social care and how staff are regarded as professionals and I’m really pleased our role in doing this has been recognised.”
