Oakley Lodge

Updated 29 May 2026

We carried out this assessment between 4 June and 31 July 2026. The service is a residential care home providing support to people with a learning disability and autistic people. There were 12 people living in the home at the time of our inspection. We inspected all 33 quality statements.

People received care and support from staff who knew them well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Overall, people, relatives and professionals were positive about the support provided and the outcomes achieved. People were supported to make choices, maintain their independence and pursue goals that were important to them.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's individual needs, preferences and aspirations. People were supported to access healthcare, community activities and opportunities that reflected their interests and goals. A particular strength of the service was its commitment to reducing barriers and improving equality of opportunity. Staff and leaders challenged assumptions about what people could achieve and supported people to access meaningful opportunities despite multiple health, behavioural or communication needs.

Overall, staff felt supported by leaders and described managers as approachable and responsive. Leaders were visible within the service and worked collaboratively with people, relatives, staff and professionals to improve outcomes.

We identified concerns relating to medicines records and governance processes. Whilst there was no evidence people had come to harm, existing quality assurance systems had not fully identified some medicines recording and documentation issues. Leaders responded promptly to the concerns identified and took action to strengthen oversight, monitoring arrangements and documentation. Further time was needed to ensure these improvements were fully embedded and sustained.

We assessed the service against the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture. We found people received care and support in accordance with the principles of this guidance. People were supported to make choices, maintain relationships, develop independence and access opportunities within their local communities.

Updated 29 May 2026

We spoke with people and relatives and used observation to assess whether people received good care. People consistently spoke positively about staff and the support they received. People described staff as "nice" and told us, "I feel looked after."

People told us they were supported to make choices and maintain their independence. They described being encouraged to develop everyday living skills and told us, "I brush my own teeth and wash myself", "I make my own cup of tea" and "I can do whatever I want."

Overall, relatives were positive about the care and support people received and the outcomes achieved. Comments included, "They promote his independence, very much so", "They take time to find out what she likes and doesn't like" and "He has achieved a lot more than we thought possible." Relatives also spoke positively about leadership within the service, with 1 relative telling us, "I have no hesitation in recommending Oakley Lodge under her management."

In general, professionals were positive about people's experiences and outcomes. One professional told us, "They know their service users incredibly well."

Overall, feedback reflected positive experiences of care and support, with people being encouraged to make choices, develop independence and achieve outcomes that were important to them.