One of our services, Highwater House, was recently inspected by PAMMS – this stands for Provider Assessment and Market Management Solution and is used by Norfolk County Council to assess the quality of care delivered by providers of adult social care services.
This was a rigorous process, and covered areas including cleanliness, safeguarding, administering medication, consent, nutrition and care and welfare. The inspection was in addition to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in which Highwater House is rated Outstanding.
The inspection happened in May 2025 and we were pleased to be rated ‘good’. The report, which is publicly available here https://www.pamms.org/adassportal/search.jsp highlighted some of the positive ways the team at Highwater House support people who have experienced homelessness as well as mental health and longstanding substance abuse issues.
Some of the comments from the PAMMS report
A welcoming environment
“Staff communications were professional yet relaxed, creating an environment where service users were viewed to express themselves. One service user’s bedroom was viewed which was personalised to the individual, there were communal areas for people to use as well as private garden areas. It was evident from visiting the service, that the staff including management were fully aware of the support needs for each service user and spoke passionately about the achievements the service had made to individuals wellbeing.”
Respect and kindness
“Comments were made around how kind the staff were, with one service user stating, “I’m very happy here and have settled in well, the staff are very friendly”. Interactions viewed confirmed that staff knew the service user well and were able to adapt their communication to enable the person to understand what was being asked of them, for example a staff member was conversing with a service user using their preferred terminology and sentence structure. It was evident during the visit there was mutual respect between both staff and service users, one staff member commented that “we are an extended family”, this enabled the individuals to make positive changes to their lives.”
Well managed
“It was evident during the visit that the management had built a good rapport with service users and were visual and present within the everyday running of the service.”
The people we support are offered choice
“Service users were offered choices of what to eat, what to drink and all food was home made. Mealtimes were a sociable experience, and service user and staff ate meals together.”
A place of safety
“Service users spoken with confirmed they felt safe living at the service. One service user had stated this was the safest place they had resided in.
Some of the people we support become team members
“One staff member spoken with gave a comprehensive biography of their own journey with the St Martins Trust, they openly spoke of their progression from being an individual who utilised the service to now working as a senior support work. They confirmed that the organisation openly supported service users to become employees.”