Autism Care UK (Bedford) Also known as Larchwood House

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last inspection we rated this key question Requires Improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to Good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

Staff supported people in line with their likes, dislikes and preferences. People were supported to communicate in ways that made sense to them. People were supported to follow their interests and be an active part of the local community. Care plans were person centred and detailed, giving clear guidance about how best to support people. People were being supported to have positive experiences and outcomes.

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 received person-centred care that was in line with their preferences, likes and dislikes. Staff and the management team knew people well and knew how they wanted to be supported. They made changes to people’s support if it became clear people wanted to be supported differently or if they discovered a new like or dislike. People’s care plans were individualised and detailed how people wanted to be supported in line with their individual likes and dislikes. We saw staff supporting people as individuals in line with their individual preferences. For example, staff supported people to take part in past times they were interested in such as singing and dancing or going out to follow their interests. One person said, ‘‘I get out and do lots of things. The staff know what I like to do and help me with this.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Staff [ have worked with [family member] for a long time. They know them really well.’’

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. Staff supported people to get in contact with health professionals if this was necessary. People were actively supported to be a part of their community and to follow their interests outside of the service. For example, it was important for 1 person to go shopping every day and staff supported them with this. Another person said, ‘‘I love [social past time], and staff take me out to do this whenever I want to.’’ People had a consistent staff team who had worked at the service for extended periods of time to help promote continuity of care. One person said, ‘‘I see the same staff all the time.’’

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Staff knew how to support people with different communication need such as using signs or objects to help them communicate. We saw staff using objects to help a person make a choice about what they wanted to buy from the shops. Another person had a visual schedule which they used to help them know what was happening throughout the day. The management team made sure information such as policies and procedures were available in easy read and accessible formats. One relative told us, ‘‘We hear from [deputy manager] regularly and they keep me up to date with what is happening and how [family member] is getting on.’’

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. The management and staff team made sure people, and their relatives were given the opportunity to feed back about their care and support regularly. Staff held individual meetings with people to discuss their support and any recent experiences they had which they enjoyed. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] will sit with me, and we talk about what I have done and what I want to do next.’’ Staff took time to listen to people as they were being supported throughout the day. This enabled people to feed back about how they were being supported at every opportunity. Relatives also told us they were involved in discussions about their family members care plans and risk assessments.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Staff supported people to contact health professionals such as GP’s or the emergency services if this was necessary. They followed professionals’ advice to help make sure people were supported safely. Staff advocated for people when they went to their appointments. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] always come with me and make me feel safe [when I go to appointments].’’ Staff were working with professionals to advocate for one person who needed more support with one of their support needs and this was having a positive impact for the person.

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. People had been supported to have good experiences at the service and achieve positive outcomes. Staff and the management team had a proactive approach to supporting people, taking positive risks to help people achieve their outcomes. One person had been supported to form a relationship that was important to them. They told us, ‘‘I have met someone special to me. [Staff] help me to go and meet them and spend time with them.’’ This person also told us, ‘‘I work at [locations] throughout the week, and this is really important to me. I go to discos and go to [place of worship too.’’ Another person had been supported to have a day where they tried new things or followed their known interests depending on their choices. The person called this [Person’s name] day and excitedly showed us pictures of how they had been spending their time. Other people had been supported to attend college courses, go shopping and be a part of their community in various past times. A relative said, ‘‘My [family member] is very busy and has a lot to do. These are all things they want to do, and its id great staff members support them with this.’’

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. People had been supported to put plans in place for the future including the end of their lives. Staff knew who to contact for support if people needed help at the end of their life. People had lived at the service for a number of years and staying there in the future was important to them. The management team told us how supporting people to stay at the service was a key priority for them and they would do whatever was needed to support people to live at the service for as long as they were able to.