From “Good” to “Outstanding” autism and learning disability care services

“Outstanding” care isn’t an accident. It’s the outcome of strong leadership, clear governance, and a learning culture where policies, systems, and people align.

When the Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently rated Moorville House, a small residential service in Sheffield, as “Outstanding”, it didn’t just mark success for one provider. It offered the entire sector a blueprint for how governance, compliance, and compassionate leadership can transform care quality.

In this blog, Dr Richard Dune explores what made Moorville House stand out and how other providers can use governance frameworks, digital compliance systems, and continuous workforce development to move from “Good” to “Outstanding.”

The story behind Moorville House

Moorville House, operated by Moorville Developments Limited, supports younger adults with learning disabilities and autism. The home accommodates up to eight people and, during inspection, supported six residents.

Following its full assessment (August–September 2025), Moorville House achieved:

• “Outstanding” overall

• “Outstanding” for ‘Caring’ and ‘Well-Led’ domains

• "Good" for ‘Safe’, ‘Effective’, and ‘Responsive’ domains.

The inspection, based on CQC’s ‘Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture' guidance, revealed a service deeply rooted in person-centred values, inclusion, and empowerment.

For providers and managers, this inspection isn’t just a success story, but an operational masterclass in aligning policies, governance frameworks, and workforce training with the CQC’s Assessment Framework.

Governance and culture - The foundations of “Outstanding”

“Outstanding” care begins with strong leadership and a positive culture. The following examples show how governance and values drive excellence:

Leadership in the ‘Well-Led’ domain

“Outstanding” services share one defining feature: ‘Outstanding leadership.’

At Moorville House, leadership wasn’t confined to boardrooms or care plans. It was visible, values-driven, and empowering. The CQC inspectors observed that people led “fully inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, attitudes, and behaviours of the management and staff team.”

This reflects Regulation 17 (Good Governance) in practice:

• Clear policies and procedures that support safe, effective care

• Consistent use of data and audits to evaluate performance

• A commitment to workforce development and continuous improvement.

For managers, this means moving beyond compliance paperwork to embedding supervision systems, reflective learning, and regular policy review cycles within digital compliance systems.

“You can’t mandate “Outstanding” culture - you have to model it.”

Caring beyond compliance

Moorville House achieved an “Outstanding” rating for Caring by demonstrating care that was personal, relational, and deeply human in nature.

Staff didn’t just meet needs - they built trust. They supported families during crises, maintained relationships post-discharge, and treated every interaction as an opportunity for connection.

This approach epitomises what the CQC calls “personalised and relational care.” It’s underpinned by staff who are:

• Skilled through statutory and mandatory training

• Supported through ongoing supervision and reflection

• Confident in using governance frameworks to escalate concerns and safeguard people’s rights.

“Outstanding” care comes from well-trained, well-supported teams. It’s why investment in appropriately tailored and accredited training courses and learning management systems (LMS) is critical for sustaining compassion, consistency, and compliance.

Learning from excellence - What CQC reports reveal

Every inspection report, not just those rated “Outstanding”, holds valuable lessons for improvement. Yet, many providers focus only on their own feedback, missing opportunities to benchmark against sector leaders.

Why benchmarking matters

• Governance perspective - Compare your systems, workforce engagement, and compliance approach with those of services rated “Outstanding”

• Regulatory trends - Identify recurring CQC themes such as co-production, Right Care frameworks, and safety governance

• Resilience through learning - Embedding insights from others’ reports into governance reviews and training plans enhances preparedness for inspections and regulatory changes

• Transparency - Utilise supervision sessions and governance meetings to discuss inspection outcomes across services and share best practices.

Benchmarking builds what CQC expects to see: a culture of openness, reflection, and improvement.

What other providers can learn from Moorville House

This demonstrates that “Outstanding” care aligns operational systems, workforce development, and compliance frameworks with CQC standards.

From learning to action - Embedding excellence through governance

The following four steps help providers turn CQC insights into continuous improvement and stronger governance:

1. Create a CQC learning hub

• Assign a governance or compliance lead to review monthly inspection reports regularly

• Summarise key insights and share them during team meetings or via your LMS.

2. Integrate benchmarking into governance

• Use inspection data in your governance reviews and audit cycles to pinpoint areas for improvement

• Digital compliance systems like ComplyPlus™ make this seamless, linking reports, training records, and improvement plans.

3. Celebrate and reflect

• Highlight best practice examples from across the sector during supervision and staff meetings

• Reflection drives engagement, a hallmark of the Well-Led domain.

4. Build a continuous improvement framework

Adopt a digital training management system (TMS) that connects:

• Training completion rates

• Policy version control

• Governance actions and compliance audits.

This ensures training and governance reinforce each other, not operate in silos.

Governance technology - The future of “Outstanding” compliance

Today’s “Outstanding” care providers don’t just rely on paper-based audits. They use regulatory compliance software to centralise policies, monitor progress, and track workforce performance.

Digital platforms such as ComplyPlus™ transform quality improvement by:

• Housing policies and procedures in a secure document repository

• Tracking statutory and mandatory training through an integrated LMS

• Providing real-time governance dashboards for inspection readiness

• Supporting continuous workforce learning through evidence-based modules. 

These tools align perfectly with CQC’s emphasis on transparency, accountability, and regulation focused on improvement.

Final thought - Excellence is a shared journey

CQC’s regulatory approach reinforces that quality is dynamic: not a single rating but a process of learning, reflection, and leadership.

Whether your service is Requires Improvement, “Good”, or “Outstanding”, every inspection report tells a story about people, practice, and potential.

The most forward-thinking providers know this:

“You don’t need to wait for your own inspection to learn - you can learn from everyone else’s.”

When organisations use digital compliance systems, governance frameworks, and accredited workforce training, they create the foundation for sustainable excellence and safer, more person-centred care.

Drive “Outstanding” governance and compliance with ComplyPlus™

At The Mandatory Training Group, I’ve led the development of ComplyPlus™ regulatory compliance management software, designed to help providers embed excellence through:

• Centralised policies and procedures in a secure document repository

• Integrated LMS and TMS for statutory and mandatory training

• Real-time governance dashboards to evidence compliance with CQC frameworks and laws

• Automated reporting and version control to ensure continuous improvement.

Learn how ComplyPlus™ can strengthen your governance, compliance, and workforce development today:

Because “Outstanding” care doesn’t happen by chance, it’s built on leadership, learning, and digital systems that make excellence measurable, sustainable, and real.