Outstanding care home reduces aggression in people with autism

A care home in London for people with severe learning disabilities and autism has been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, for substantially reducing aggressive behaviour.

The care regulator found that 1 Lichfield Lane which is run by London Care Partnership, had a ‘hugely positive impact’ on the residents and although residents have limited verbal communication, their ‘positive body language and displays of affection towards staff throughout CQC’s visit showed they enjoyed living at Lichfield Lane’. This was confirmed by relatives.

The residents at the home in Richmond-upon-Thames are younger adults who have moved from residential schools, other care home placements or parental homes.

Inspectors said in the report: ‘The positive impact the home had on young people, since moving in was also demonstrated by a substantial reduction of incidents where people displayed anxiety or anger through aggressive behaviour.

‘When aggressive behaviour did occur staff understood that this was an expression of people’s emotions, feelings and turned them into positives by calming the situation, finding out what was wrong and addressing it. They achieved this by having a thorough knowledge of each person living at the home and their likes and dislikes based on trial and error and growing positive bonds and relationships with them.’

Debbie Ivanova, CQC’s deputy chief inspector of Adult Social Care, said: “We were impressed by the excellent quality of care provided at 1 Lichfield Lane. The culture of the service, staff and organisation as a whole was open, transparent, progressive and committed to continuous improvement with care and support centred on the individual.”

She added: “We found that people and their relatives felt valued as did staff who considered themselves as important representatives of the organisation. Relatives said the management team and organisation were approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback from people and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided. They felt that this was an outstanding service and organisation and their views were supported by health care professionals.”

The report also revealed that each person has a comprehensive and individualised support plan covering all aspects of their lives, which includes their social, leisure, educational and if appropriate, future work aspirational needs. Great attention is also paid to people’s health and emotional needs. Staff feedback was also very positive and they are enthusiastic about working at Lichfield Lane and the organisation as a whole. They feel their ideas are listened to and they are enabled and supported to develop their skills, according to the CQC.

The home for up to eight residents has been accredited by the National Autistic Society for its person centred care and the individualised support it gives. You can read the report in full at http://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-279496420