Member Article

Autumn Leaf House care home rated ‘outstanding’ for how it responds to needs of residents with autism and learning disabilities

• Inspectors said staff “made a real and lasting difference to people’s lives” • They saw the “commitment and focus was on ensuring people’s experiences made a positive difference to their lives” • A relative told inspectors that the care received is “outstanding, simply because people’s lives are made better”

A care home for adults with autism and learning disabilities in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands, has been rated ‘outstanding’ for being “responsive” by the health and social care watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Following a recent inspection, Autumn Leaf House was ranked ‘outstanding’ in the “responsive” assessment category by inspectors. The CQC said, “Services were tailored to meet the needs of individuals and delivered to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care.”

The report spoke of the “strong emphasis placed on supporting people to overcome obstacles to improve their quality of life”. For example, the staff at Autumn Leaf House had helped one resident to experience activities such as ice skating, swimming and hiking for the first time.

The staff also assisted residents, so they were able to visit places of worship and go to restaurants to eat food which was important to their culture. Inspectors said, “People were supported to maintain links with people in their local community who shared their culture and beliefs.”

The CQC mentioned how one resident was able to visit the seaside with their family because of the support and the help with planning they received from the staff.

The trip was described as “a very special occasion” because this was the resident’s first visit to the seaside with their family. Their relative described it as “a really brilliant and happy day” as it allowed them to make “lovely memories”.

The report praised the staff for being “passionate about and committed to recognising and celebrating people’s achievements”. It spoke of how the care home was planning an awards ceremony called ‘Proud of You’ which would “celebrate the often-overlooked stories and … personal achievements” of its residents.

The CQC rated the service ‘good’ overall and in each of the other four assessment categories: “is the service safe”, “caring”, “effective” and “well-led”.
Inspectors spoke positively of the staff. In their review of the “caring” category, they said, “it was evident they cared about the people they supported and wanted to do their best”. Relatives also described the staff as being “kind” and “caring”.

Autumn Leaf House supports adults with autism and/or learning disabilities. The care home is located in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands, and is managed by Priory Adult Care, a division within the renowned Priory Group, the mental healthcare specialists.

Erika Lane, Registered Manager at Autumn Leaf House, said: “We are delighted to have been rated ‘outstanding’ for being ‘responsive’, and ‘good’ overall by the CQC. The staff at Autumn Leaf House work incredibly hard to support the residents and to help them to achieve their individual goals, and it is great to see that this has been recognised by the CQC.”

Rebekah Cresswell, Chief Operating Officer at Priory Adult Care, said: “I would like to thank Erika and all the staff for the work they do. The team provide an outstanding level of care and support for the residents of Autumn Leaf House, which has been reflected in their recent CQC report.”

Pictured above from left to right: Sarah Hennessy - Deputy Manager, Erika M. Lane - Registered Service Manager, Katie Wood - Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner, James Whitaker - Senior Support Worker, Laivine Dill - Administrator/Activity Co-Ordinator.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Niamh Donnelly .