NorCA Star: Turning a ‘Poor’ into a ‘Good’

When you pour your heart and soul into improving a service for a year, receiving a disappointing audit result can feel like a gut punch. But for Raj Sehgal and the team at ArmsCare, it wasn’t the final verdict – it was the beginning of a conversation.

Why you should never be afraid to challenge the data

We’re delighted to name Raj and his team as NorCA Stars, not just for the hard work they’ve put into transforming a home over the past 13 months, but for their tenacity in ensuring that hard work was properly recognised.

A Year of Hard Work

When ArmsCare took over a home just over a year ago, they knew there was work to be done. The previous PAMMS audit had come back as ‘poor’. Undeterred, Raj and his team rolled up their sleeves and got to work, determined to turn things around.

For a year, they persevered. They listened, they learned, they implemented changes, and they poured their energy into providing the best possible care. When the time came for the next PAMMS audit, they felt cautiously optimistic.

The Draft Result: A Blow

When the draft report arrived, it was disappointing. Despite a year of effort, it too had come back as ‘poor’ in several areas. It would have been easy to accept the result, to feel deflated, and to move on. But Raj and his team did something different. They read the report carefully.

“For the areas that came back as poor, not just the poor areas, but we also challenged the ‘good’ areas and the ‘requires improvement’ areas. They were there for three days, so we knew what they had seen. We looked at their feedback and thought: we don’t agree. This is what we showed you on the day, and we believe that this is not ‘requires improvement’- it’s actually ‘good’. And some of the ‘good’ areas, we would argue are ‘excellent’.”

The Power of Challenging

Rather than simply accepting the draft findings, the team at ArmsCare did something that took courage and conviction: they challenged it. They gathered their evidence, documented everything they had shown the auditors during their three-day visit, and made their case. It was a risk. But it was also the right thing to do for their team and for the people they support – and it paid off.

“I’m pleased to say the final thing came out and it came out as ‘good’. It didn’t just go from a ‘poor’ to ‘requires improvement’. It went from what would have been a ‘poor/requires improvement’ to a ‘good’ – all by challenging it.”

A Message for Other Providers

Raj’s message to other providers facing difficult audit results is simple and heartfelt: don’t despair. Look at everything that they’ve challenged or written down as ‘poor’. Provide the evidence, document it, send it to them and it can change the outcome.

It’s a powerful reminder that audits are not infallible. They are a snapshot, a perspective. And if that perspective doesn’t match the reality of the care you’re providing day in and day out, you have the right to speak up.

Our NorCA Stars

For their dedication to improvement, their refusal to be defined by a draft report, and their commitment to ensuring their team’s hard work was properly recognised, we are proud to name Raj Sehgal and the entire ArmsCare team as our NorCA Stars.

This story isn’t just about an audit grade. It’s about believing in your team, standing up for the quality of your care, and having the courage to say: “We think you’ve got this wrong. Let us show you why.”

Do you have a Star on your team?

Excellence in social care takes many forms – sometimes it’s a beautiful moment with someone you support, and sometimes it’s the quiet determination to fight for what’s right. If you have a colleague, a team, or a story you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you.