News » Paul Burstow visits Sutton CMG Services

Paul Burstow visits local learning disability homes

Last week, Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow visited local learning disability services and met with members of the Adults with Learning Disabilities Services (ALDS) Forum.

Mr. Burstow toured several services with Mihir Magudia, representative from ALDS, and David Spruzen, a Director of CMG. CMG is a leading independent provider for over 600 people with learning disabilities and associated complex needs in the UK and runs five services in the Sutton and Cheam area.

The ALDS Forum is a group of leading independent providers of services for adults living with learning disabilities. The organisation runs over 500 settings across the country, providing much-needed services for adults with mental illnesses and learning disabilities.

Mr Burstow accompanied David Spruzen and Mihir Magudia around three of CMG’s local services – The Green, Cheam Road and Egmont Road – which provide specialist residential support for adults aged over 18 with learning disabilities and additional complex needs. All of CMG’s services have a strong focus on promoting community inclusion, independence, rights, choice and control for service users, who are supported to develop social, communication and life skills, with a focus on education and employment.

The ALDS Forum seeks to inform local and national policymakers of the issues encountered in the care of adults with learning disabilities. Collaborating with local care providers like CMG, they work towards achieving support for policies, which will improve the lives of adults living with learning disabilities or mental illness. Another key part of their work is to consider how best to adapt to new policies introduced by the Government.

Mr. Burstow praised the work of ALDS Forum, saying:

“It is an unfortunate fact that the needs of adults with learning disabilities are not always met in society today.

“I am proud of the homes I visited in Sutton and Cheam, and hope that they can provide a model for future efforts in the care of adults with learning disabilities.”

After the visits, Mr. Burstow discussed wider ALDS Forum issues in more detail with Mihir Magudia and David Spruzen.

Speaking on the day, David Spruzen, Director at CMG said:

“It was a privilege to meet Mr Burstow and members of the ALDS Forum today. It is our top priority at CMG to work with Government and local authorities to provide the best possible support and care for our service users, which will enable them to lead independent lives and achieve their own goals.

“I look forward to working closely with ALDS and Mr Burstow in the future, to continue raising standards of care.”

ENDS

This article appeared in the Sutton Guardian on Monday 18th October 2010; click here to view the article on their website.