North Lanarkshire Housing Support service awarded two “very good” gradings by the Care Inspectorate.

Cornerstone’s combined Housing Support and Care at Home service in North Lanarkshire has welcomed recently-published results following an unannounced visit from the Care Inspectorate on the 13th and 14th May 2025. The inspection focussed on two key aspects of the service; “how well does the service support people's wellbeing?” and “how good is the staff team?” Both aspects were awarded a grade 5 – very good. 

The service is registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide housing support and care at home to tenants over 18 years with learning disabilities, autism or acquired brain injury and who live in their own homes. The service operates from our office base in Airdrie and at the time of inspection 19 people were being supported. 

Alan and Brian out and about enjoying the sunshine with Audrey Steel, Support Practitioner. 

In awarding the two grade 5’s the Care Inspectorate noted that the people who were supported were “very happy with the service they received”. They were provided with support in line with their needs, wishes and preferences and spent their time doing things they enjoyed, engaged in activities that promoted their wellbeing. Inspectors noted “The service was proactively supporting and promoting people's independence and choices. When carrying out visits during the inspection it was evident that some supported people had busy days ahead of them and were planning some interesting activities”. 

A relative commented:

“Cornerstone always deliver the care my [relative] requires treating [them] as if [they] were a member of their own family”. 

Cornerstone’s vision is to be the first choice for expert care and support for people with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs in Scotland. As a leading social care provider, we are transforming social care through a culture of trust, empowerment and teamwork. We are guided by four core values; caring, person-centred, professional and pioneering and pride ourselves in placing the people they support at the heart of everything we do. 

Amy Slater, Branch Leader, North Lanarkshire said:

“I am delighted the Care Inspectorate have recognised the high-quality, person-centred service delivered by our team to people with physical and learning disabilities in North Lanarkshire. In particular, I was pleased to see the Care Inspectorate recognise that the people we support have positive experiences and outcomes; delivered by a familiar, consistent, high-quality staff team and that management systems in place are of a high standard. We pride ourselves in very robust, well-informed and meaningful care planning that allows us to tailor the support we offer according to each individual’s preferences, their identity, strengths, goals and needs”. 

In addition, the report praised how well the staff team worked together, helping to ensure that people experienced a very good level of care.  Staff presented as “happy working in the service” and demonstrated a good knowledge of people's needs and how these could best be met. Training records also showed a wide range of mandatory training courses had been completed as well as specialist training for people who had more complex needs, ensuring everyone supported received care from a competent, well-trained workforce. 

Inspectors also reported an approachable, supportive management team that listened when staff raised concerns, addressing and facilitating improvements in the support offered. Staff took part regularly in supervision meetings helping to monitor staff wellbeing, competency and practice.  

One staff member commented: 'Cornerstone provide the correct up to date training and my manager and team make me feel comfortable in my job role'. 

Gillian McPake, Head of Continuous Improvement and Learning at Cornerstone concluded:

“Congratulations go to our team in North Lanarkshire for these very positive Care Inspectorate grade 5 results in recognition of the quality and consistency of the support we provide.  In particular, it was great to hear that inspectors praised our strong support planning, risk management and review processes, all of which are developed with active involvement from the people we support and their representatives. This recognition reflects the team’s dedication and reflects our commitment in delivering safe, personalised support that empowers individuals and improves lives.”