About – Angela Gunning

“Angela carried out a deep review of our systems. She showed us any shortcomings and helped us to rectify all identified problems. The method of review was very informative. With Angela’s deep insight she was able to extract far more information than people thought that they had given. The review highlighted what was working well and what was not. We now review in a similar way. Ofsted and other inspections have all commented favourably on our paper work.

I recommend Achieving Greater to other social care providers. I was 100% happy that Angela’s help satisfied all our expectations. Angela helped us to have everything up to date and cross referenced correctly. An outside perspective is invaluable and her help was excellent value for money”.

“Angela has helped us to enhance our QA system and promote safe practise. We now have improved monitoring to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of our service and assist in on-going service development and improvement. "

"A new Regulation 33 reporting format has been implemented by Cornerways which has been adapted and utilises parts of Angela’s format. Angela completes Regulation 33 visits and reports quarterly for our 2 children’s homes within required timescales and to a good standard using her own recording format. This was adapted to fit better with our service procedure and practise. At my request Angela added in monitoring of specific National Minimum Standards and included more evaluation in her second reports."

"I received positive feedback about Angela’s interaction with staff and young people; she put both at ease and has been able to ascertain their views about the quality of care provided or received and any strengths or difficulties."

“Angela provided support regarding the development of a new Regulation 34 reporting and evaluation format to meet Ofsted expectations and requirements. Our Managers are kept on their toes! “

“Quarterly Regulation 33 monitoring visits by a totally independent child care consultant compliments and enhances other monitoring visits by the Responsible Individual by ensuring greater transparency, objectivity and a fresh, alternative perspective on the quality of care provided. Angela has helped us provide greater credibility. Ofsted have recently reported positively about our Regulation 33 reports: ‘monitoring reports are detailed and again have developed over the last few months. They provide an excellent report for the service and Ofsted to gain a clear overview of how the service is functioning”.

“Angela also provided supplementary free advice and guidance on the key changes from the new inspection framework and evaluation schedule which was helpful. Achieving Greater... has provided value for money; I am very satisfied that Angela did everything asked of her and I recommend her services to other social care providers”.

“Angela’s service helped us consolidate our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Owlswick. She gave us some insightful suggestions for improving our service. We were then able to develop a focussed action plan showing our commitment to raising standards and making improvements to the way in which we operate our care services. The full audit provided us with a really detailed picture of where Owlswick stood in meeting Ofsted’s new inspection regime. We achieved a very positive Ofsted report for our first full inspection”.

“We discussed a project brief before we started and Angela showed a very clear grasp and understanding of the work we wanted her to undertake with us. There were no areas where we felt that Angela did not meet the project brief. Throughout the project Angela engaged and involved the children and staff in a person centred and friendly way. We considered that the costs of the project and the results achieved was money well spent and extremely good value. We are very willing to recommend Angela and her services to other social care providers”.

“I am completely satisfied with the help Angela has given us to develop and improve our quality assurance practices. We now have better monitoring and evaluation of our service. Angela helped us have a clearer understanding of the importance and value of quality assurance tools. Ofsted acknowledge and report on improvements made to our monitoring systems. We highly recommend the services that Angela offers. Her help provided value for money; it was clear and precise, enabling us to improve without having to revisit paper-work which can be costly. Angela’s experience as an inspector is valuable yet she has been able to take off her ‘inspector hat’. Our ongoing working relationship has progressed and become more cohesive. Angela is clearly committed to engaging with our staff and children to ensure their involvement and contribution”.

“Angela shows flexibility and adaptability within the roles she undertakes within Jemini Response to meet the expectations of a Bank staff member. Angela has a positive approach to the vulnerable adults in our care, ensuring that support is delivered to a high standard with clear boundaries and expectations. "

"I have witnessed Angela respectfully and safely support residents in crisis, utilising a Team approach, appealing to the residents strengths and interests whilst ensuring Best Interests of the individual are considered. Feedback from the team indicates that Angela is a popular, dependable and respected team mate."

"Angela has proven herself very capable in meeting and working within the ethos of the company, able to seek clarification or refer to paperwork if requiring clarification. Angela accepts guidance and direction well (from Senior and more experienced staff) and implements, effectively any elements of constructive feedback”.

"Reports produced by the independent visitor in line with Regulation 44 are comprehensive. They identify many areas of good practice and the areas for improvement. The Registered Manager uses these in addition to their regular monitoring to evaluative the effectiveness of the service and form the development plan". (21/3/16)

"Regulation 33 reports are sound and provide good monitoring and evaluation of the home, including the views of young people". (2/7/13)

"A childcare consultant conducts monthly, unannounced monitoring visits in line with Regulation 33. Subsequent monitoring reports are sufficiently detailed. These monitoring systems act to identify strengths and weaknesses of the service and assist service development and improvement". (29/5/12)

"Reports from independent monitoring visits in relation to Regulation 44 are strong and provide a good overview of the current service and young people’s progress, while providing critical oversight." (23/7/15)

"Internal monitoring arrangements are rigorous and visits by an independent visitor, who reports monthly on the service being provided, are very effective. This means the quality of care that young people receive is under constant scrutiny and continually being improved." (6/11/14)

"Regulation 33 reports are thorough identifying strengths and weakness within the home. Young people where possible are spoken to as part of the Regulation 33 visit." (24/7/13)

"A childcare consultant conducts monthly, unannounced monitoring visits in line with Regulation 33. Subsequent monitoring reports are detailed and have again developed over the last few months. They provide an excellent report for the service and Ofsted to gain a clear overview of how the service is functioning. At the same time these monitoring systems act to identify strengths and weaknesses of the service and assist service development and improvement which can be seen in the home’s development plan." (26/7/12)

"auditing of the service continues to be effective and inform future development plans. As a result a number of developments have taken place". (26/11/15)

‘There is detailed monitoring of the quality of care undertaken by the external independent visitor". (21/5/15) 

"External monitoring takes place monthly with comprehensive reports that the manager and senior management team reflect on to ensure standards of care remain very good." (23/10/14) 

“following a difficult Ofsted inspection at one of our care homes after which we were downgraded, we enlisted Angela’s help to formulate an action plan in preparation for the re-inspection.

We were dealing with some significant procedural changes which needed to be resolved in a very short timescale, and subsequently communicated to the staff team”.

“Angela was a great help in applying her knowledge of the Quality Standards and Regulations to our planning, showing great commitment to our cause during what was a fraught time, with the outcome being a vastly improved Ofsted grading and consequently I would highly-recommend Angela’s services to other users.”

"We have had a professional working relationship with Angela for over twelve years and for part of this period of time contracted with her to carry out Regulation 44 monitoring visits for our children’s home. Angela is very experienced and knowledgable as regards to the needs and life experiences of vulnerable young people children and monitoring/inspecting that regulatory requirements are being met in the care that they receive. She is extremely competent and skilled at advising and guiding leadership teams as to how they can develop and improve their services thus ensuring these impact positively on children’s lives and experiences in care. Angela is diligent, has excellent knowledge of her field of expertise and not afraid to challenge in a constructive manner if she finds there are areas that need to be strengthened and/or improved in an organisation. We are pleased to recommend her as both a management consultant and experienced social care practitioner for young people and children.’

Sarah Hawke June 2021

“Angela has been our independent visitor carrying out the monthly Regulation 44 visit for Owlswick for the last two years. We have developed a positive professional working relationship together and she has got to know the staff and young people."

"As well as completing a comprehensive monitoring report which checks Owlswick’s adherence to regulatory requirement, Angela provides constructive and informed feedback regarding our working practice, policies and procedures. This is used by our care staff to consider how to make continuous improvement as well as ensuring that the young people who live with us receive the highest possible quality of care. "

"Angela is thorough, knowledgeable and approachable and we are happy to recommend her as an Independent Visitor”.

Sarah Hawke 2016

"We were extremely satisfied with the consultancy services Angela provided us. As a new provider, we wanted to ensure our key policies and procedures were accurate and comprehensive before we submitted them to Ofsted as part of our registration process. Angela reviewed our policies and procedures and provided detailed feedback and recommendations."

"Angela was very easy to work with; providing prompt responses and completing work within agreed timescales and a clear payment structure. Angela was able to answers our queries with clear and informative explanations. On one occasion a particular aspect of the Ofsted requirements were not clear due to recent amendments. Angela was able to contact Ofsted directly and clarify exactly what was required from us. "

"Ofsted approved our application and commented on the high quality of our policies and procedures. I would not hesitate to use Angela’s services again, and would highly recommend her to other providers."

"My business was on the verge of closure. Angela helped the company back from the dead! My business has now gone from surviving to thriving. Angela’s service has helped me to continue in business. I found Angela’s approach very friendly and professional. The service provided priceless value for money. I recommend Angela’s service to other social care providers simply because she is very effective at her job".

"Over the past 3 years Angela has been providing me with on-going support and advice in implementing, developing and expanding our residential provision for children and young people in the care sector.

Angela is helping Abiding Care and Support to build our reputation as professional, reliable and always caring.

Angela’s response and assistance has always been prompt and helpful. She helped me in recruiting knowledgeable and skilled people to join our team as the business continues to expand.

Angela carried out an audit of our semi-independent homes. This has shown placing authorities that we are dedicated in providing the best service possible for the young people we care for.

Angela’s interaction with staff and young people has been open and engaging.

Her input into the project has provided value for money. We are building a positive reputation for the service we are providing.

I would recommend Achieving Greater services to other social care providers because I have confidence that she would do a good job".

"Angela was commissioned to undertake an independent review on behalf of a home that had been issued with a Proposal of Notice to Cancel their registration. She was able to respond swiftly and demonstrated an excellent understanding of Ofsted and regulatory issues. Her thorough and comprehensive report contributed to a successful outcome for the home".

"We have had a professional working relationship with Angela for over twelve years and for part of this period of time contracted with her to carry out Regulation 44 monitoring visits for our children’s home. Angela is very experienced and knowledgable as regards to the needs and life experiences of vulnerable young people children and monitoring/inspecting that regulatory requirements are being met in the care that they receive. She is extremely competent and skilled at advising and guiding leadership teams as to how they can develop and improve their services thus ensuring these impact positively on children’s lives and experiences in care. Angela is diligent, has excellent knowledge of her field of expertise and not afraid to challenge in a constructive manner if she finds there are areas that need to be strengthened and/or improved in an organisation. We are pleased to recommend her as both a management consultant and experienced social care practitioner for young people and children".

Sarah Hawke