Autism & Aspergers Support Ltd

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

The provider ensured that care plans were in place detailing how people’s assessed needs are met. People’s support needs were assessed and reviewed on a regular basis, which helped to ensure their needs continued to be met. Care plans and risk assessments were individual for each person and included their support in relation to a range of daily living skills and support areas in relation to their health and communication. Staff were aware of the importance of asking for consent before supporting people and respecting their wishes.

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.

People, their relative’s and health professionals were consulted with when people’s needs were assessed. People were unable to talk directly with us about assessing needs, however, we saw that staff knew people's needs and preferences well and that relatives had been involved in care planning and assessment.

Staff understood people’s needs and supported people with reviews and reassessments when required. One member of staff told us, "We gather information from previous placements, family and next of kin, plus funding authorities, it’s a thorough process of pre-assessment. We need to work out if we can meet their needs, and also if they are a good fit for the other people living here. We ensure staff are trained in any specific conditions people have."

The manager of the service described to us the process of assessing people effectively before they moved into the service, to ensure they could meet their specific needs. They stated that information about the person was gathered from people relevant in the person’s life, such as family, health professionals and the person themself. This information was then pulled together to develop a person-centred care plan to guide staff on how to support the person effectively, and to achieve any specific goals and outcomes they may have. Staff completed daily care records which showed how they provided care and support in line with people’s assessed needs and care plans. The manager regularly reviewed care records to ensure they continued to meet people’s changing needs and preferences.

We did not look at Delivering evidence-based care and treatment during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at How staff, teams and services work together during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Supporting people to live healthier lives during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Monitoring and improving outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

People were unable to give us feedback verbally about consent. We observed staff supporting people safely and ensuring consent was received before any support took place. We observed staff ask people for their permission before carrying out tasks to support them. People were seen to be comfortable and relaxed when having their needs attended to.

Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act and ensured that people were asked to consent and offered choice before care was provided. The manager told us, "We're always looking at least restrictive practice. Staff know all about this."

Mental capacity assessments were completed, and best interest decisions made with the involvement of relevant others, when needed. Care plans provided staff with guidance about how to involve people as fully as possible in making decisions including access to advocates.