Autism Care UK (Bedford) Also known as Larchwood House

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last inspection we rated this key question Requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to Good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

People’s needs were assessed when they started using the service. If people’s needs changed then changes were made to the way they were supported, to ensure staff supported them with these. The staff team worked well with each other and with other professionals to help people stay healthy and achieve their health-related outcomes and goals. Staff supported people to achieve positive outcomes whilst living at the service. People were supported in line with the MCA and staff were trained in this.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment were effective because they assessed their needs when they started using the service and reassessed these regularly. Staff knew people well and noticed any changes they may need to their support promptly. They and the management team then reassessed people’s needs to make sure they were getting the support they needed. When new people started living at the service, their needs were thoroughly assessed by the staff team to make sure their needs could be met. People were supported to stay at the service overnight to see if they liked it and to meet the people, they would be living with to make sure they were happy with this. This made the experience positive for people. One person said, ‘‘I came in to see my room and to have a look around. I met the people in other rooms. I got to personalise everything. It’s all good.’’

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. The management team kept up to date with best practice by attending forums and learning events. They shared this with the staff team. The staff team spoke knowledgably about their training in area such as supporting people living with a learning disability and the MCA. Staff had requested further training in supporting people living with specific health conditions and the provider was sourcing this for the staff team. This meant people could be supported with best practice. One relative said, ‘‘[Staff] are confident and trained to support [family member] with all of their support needs. They always try their best to give [family member] the best experience possible.’’

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Staff were positive and complimentary about their colleagues and how well they worked together. They told us they pulled together to support each other to help ensure people received the best care possible. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] get on well with each other and with us.’’ Staff worked well with other professionals such as GP’s and nurses and followed their advice when it came to supporting people. Feedback from professionals about the service was positive. One person said, ‘‘If I feel ill or sick the staff take me to see the doctor.’’

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. Staff supported people to be healthy in line with their support needs. For example, where necessary they recorded how and what people were eating and drinking to make sure this was in line with their identified support needs. Staff prompted and supported people to have regular exercise. One person was visibly happy to be supported to go out for a walk and gave us a sign to show this was something they wanted to do. Another person said, ‘‘I like to eat a lot of [food type] but am trying hard to eat lots of different things. [Staff] help me choose from the menu or chooses some of the foods I buy myself. I am trying my best to be healthy, and staff are helping me with this.’’

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met the expectations of people and their relatives. Staff knew people well and knew how to support them to achieve their health-related outcomes. The management team reviewed people’s care records to make sure outcomes were being achieved. One person had been supported to successfully manage a health condition they had thanks to the support of the staff team. They said, ‘‘[Staff] know what I need to do to [support my health condition]. They make sure they help me with this.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘I think [family member] has been supported to do all they can at the service. They are very happy.’’

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff were trained in the MCA and knew the importance of this legislation and making sure people were asked for consent whilst being supported. The management team completed assessments and made decisions in people’s best interests if they lacked the full capacity to make decisions themselves. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] give me lots of choices. I can more or less do what I want when I want to.’’ Another person was given options of what to but when they went to the shops and was visibly happy to be doing this. Staff respected their choices.