Choices for Living Well (Killelea)

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 25 February 2025. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 12 to 24 November 2025. We visited the service on 12, 18 and 20 November 2025. Choices for Living Well (Killelea) is a purpose built 36 bedded rehabilitation service providing Intermediate Care. 24 of the beds can support people with nursing needs, and 12 beds for people with social care needs. Bury Council is the registered provider, working in partnership with NHS services at Northern Care Alliance, as part of the wider Bury Integrated Care Partnership.

A truly standout feature of the service was the comprehensive multi-disciplinary team (MDT) approach in providing outstanding evidence-based practice. This was a shining example of how the integration of adult social care and NHS professionals, co-located and working as one, can deliver exceptional evidence-based care, support and rehabilitation. Comments from professionals working in the service included, “It is one of the best examples of intermediate care that I know of” and “I would be happy to have a loved one/family member in Killelea or myself for that matter!.”

The provider worked in partnership with a local business, who owned and operated the café bar adjacent to the service. This collaboration meant people receiving their rehabilitation and support could also access the café as part of their rehabilitation either with friends and family or independently.

Relevant and up-to-date information was readily available to the whole MDT which avoided duplication and genuinely meant people only needed to tell their story once wherever possible. We saw a moving testimony provided by a relative of a person who used the service to support this.

The service was exceptional in monitoring people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured outcomes were positive and consistent, and they fully met both clinical and social care expectations and the expectations of people themselves. A consultant-led ‘ward round’ was completed in the service at least twice a week. We saw how this was helping to ensure peoples ongoing medical needs were addressed in tandem with their rehabilitation goals.

People were always supported and encouraged to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. This included advice and support around lifestyle changes such as moving more and healthy eating options.

The service was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. People spoke highly of staff and with great fondness.

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Feedback from staff was consistently positive about the registered manager.