- Care home
Wood Cottage
Assessment report published 27 August 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
This assessment was undertaken on site on 23, 24 and 25 June 2026 with documentation reviewed off site. Wood Cottage is a residential service providing support for up to 3 adults with a learning disability or autistic people or both, at the time of assessment 3 people were using the service.
This was the first assessment of the service. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities most people take for granted. We found people received care and support in accordance with this guidance.
The service was run by a registered manager and a service manager.
People were not always supported in a way to promote their rights, individuality, and involvement in decisions about their care, or supported involvement from relatives, advocates or staff. For example, there was no evidence of collaboration in updating care and support plans, or involvement in undertaking capacity assessments and best interest decision making.
Staff delivered evidence-based support using recognised approaches, including Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and national health service programme ‘Stopping over medication of people with a learning disability and autistic people’ STOMP principles. Staff knew people well and provided personalised support which reflected their needs, preferences and communication styles. People were supported to maintain relationships, access the community, and participate in activities were meaningful to them, supporting independence and inclusion.
Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people's needs, recruitment processes were safe, and staff were fully trained and competent. Medicines were managed safely in line with best practice.
The provider had a positive culture where people and staff felt able to speak up and were listened to. There was evidence of partnership working with healthcare professionals and
external agencies to support coordinated care. Staff were kind, compassionate, and respectful, and interactions observed were positive and person centred.
We used the quality-of-life tool to gather evidence during this assessment. The primary purpose of the quality-of-life tool is to improve the Care Quality Commission’s ability to consistently identify and take appropriate regulatory action in services fail or are failing to meet the needs, aspirations and skills development of people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. The tool looked at how well people's care plans were delivered in practice. We found the provider was meeting the needs of people, aspirations, and skill development for people in line with their care plans.
Governance systems required strengthening to identify and address the shortfalls we found at this assessment. This was across key areas including care plan and assessment, reviewing processes with people’s involvement, infection prevention and control and environmental safety.
People's experience of this service
People communicated in a variety of individual ways. They were not always able to verbally share their views with us. Therefore, most feedback was gathered through careful observation of people’s experiences and through discussions with staff, management and relatives who knew people well and could represent their views. This approach showed people were included and listened to and staff consistently interacted positively with them, ensuring they used people’s specific methods of communicating.
We observed people were supported to maintain independence, make choices and access the community, which contributed to their overall wellbeing. Staff were observed being responsive to people’s immediate needs, including recognising changes in presentation or distress and acting promptly to provide reassurance. This helped ensure people felt listened to and supported in the moment.
Relatives were positive about the service and the care provided to their family members. They described the service as welcoming and spoke highly of staff and the overall environment. A relative was pleased work was planned to improve the ground of the car park and outdoor area with improved access to the garden. A relative told us, “It’s very welcoming there. The staff are lovely,” reflecting a positive atmosphere within the home. Relatives expressed confidence in the consistency of care and their ability to visit flexibly and regularly. One relative was pleased their relative visited them in their home and staff facilitated this.
Relatives reported positive outcomes for their family members, particularly in relation to emotional wellbeing and presentation. One relative told us, “Whenever I come, [Person] always comes across as happy, well-groomed and nicely dressed.” Relatives told us they were happy with the environment as it was quiet in comparison to their previous home and they spend a lot of time in the community. One relative told us, “[Person] has his own key to access the kitchen; he does a lot more for himself in this home and he likes baking.”
Relatives reported an improvement in the management of the service and felt listened to when they brought matters to their attention and reported prompt actions were undertaken and feedback was provided.
Overall, feedback from people and relatives demonstrated a positive lived experience. People benefited from safe, person-centred care delivered in a welcoming environment, accessible garden with activities of their choice available. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs, supported their independence and promoted emotional wellbeing through consistent and responsive support.