We carried out a review of the data available to us about Woodland Grove on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Woodland Grove, you can give feedback on this service.
Woodland Grove is registered to provide accommodation for up to five people with autism who need support with their personal care. On the day of our inspection there were five men living at the service. The accommodation is provided over three floors of a large semidetached house in a residential area of Birkenhead. Access to the building and upper floors are by way of stairs.
At the last inspection on 10 August 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
The service had a relaxed and homely feel and people could move freely around the service as they chose. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and participate in activities they enjoyed. A relative commented “He has opportunities he has never had before with the minimum amount of restrictions and a considerable amount of love”.
People’s individual needs had been assessed and used to develop support plans. These provided staff with guidance about the care and support people needed and how they wanted this to be provided. People were consulted about their care to ensure wishes and preferences were met. People chose how to spend their day and they took part in a wide range of activities they enjoyed and encouraged to stay in touch with their families and friends.
People received a varied and nutritional diet that met their preferences and dietary needs.
People were supported by a consistent staff team who knew them well. Staff had been recruited safely and had the skills and experience to meet people’s needs and provide effective care. A relative told us “I’m very happy with the staff and their depth of knowledge. They just get autism”.
People received their medicine safely and were supported to access the support of health care professionals when needed. People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report it.
Staff considered peoples capacity using the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) as guidance. The provider was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
The management team were approachable and they and the staff team worked in collaboration with external agencies to provide good outcomes for people. Staff felt any concerns would be taken seriously and acted on. Processes were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided and drive improvement.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
This comprehensive inspection took place on the 06 and 10th of August 2015 and was announced. We announced the visit to ensure that people who used the service and staff would be available for us to talk with.
This was the first inspection since the service was registered in July 2014.
Woodland Grove is a large Victorian semi-detached house at the end of a quiet cul-de -sac. It has five large and one small bedrooms. One of the large bedrooms was en-suite. There was a large kitchen with a laundry area, a dining room and a lounge. There was a bathroom with shower on the first floor and a shower room on the ground floor. A large enclosed garden was freely available for people to use. Staff used the smaller bedroom on the second floor which doubled as an office and sleeping accommodation for staff who worked the night shift.
We visited the home on the 06 August and visited Oak House (which was the headquarters of Wirral Autistic Society) to view records kept there, on the 10 August 2015.
The home required a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. There was a registered manager in place.
The home was registered to provide care and accommodation for five people. At the time of our inspection there were four people residing in the home. The home provided accommodation for people with autism, learning disabilities, and associated conditions. All the people living in the home were men, and they were in and out of the building throughout the first day that we inspected.
The men living at the home were able to express themselves in a safe environment. They were able to choose the way they spent their day. They were taken to activities outside the home and encouraged to keep family connections by visiting where possible. Residents meetings were held monthly and between them they decided the sort of food that they would like to eat.
We found that the staff were well-trained and supported. They were able to demonstrate skill and competency in their knowledge about autism and the support of the people living at Woodland Grove. The people living there were clearly happy with the support that staff gave them and there was a good rapport between them.
Medication was given as directed and stored appropriately. Staff were able to demonstrate their knowledge of safeguarding and were able to tell us how to report an issue. The environment with clean and well decorated and the men's rooms were personalised to their own taste. The men were able to lock their bedroom doors, choose who entered their rooms and go in and out of the front door freely with support from staff.
Care records, staff records, audits and other documents relating to the running of the home, were well-kept and up-to-date.