Oakfield House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Oakfield House accommodates 20 people in one adapted building, with areas for people to spend time together or more privately as they choose. People have the space they need to enjoy their hobbies.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with autism, some of whom have additional learning disabilities, can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People’s care was provided by staff who took action to promote their safety and staff knew what action to take if they had any concerns for people. Staff understood people’s individual safety needs and worked with them to reduce the risks they experienced. This included when people chose to try new experiences. There was enough staff available to care for people in the ways they preferred. People were supported to manage their medicines independently where possible, or with support from staff.

Staff assessed people’s care needs and involved people who knew them, so people’s needs were promptly met when they moved into the home. People benefited from receiving care from staff with the skills and experience to meet their needs. People enjoyed their mealtime experiences and were supported to access the health services they needed to remain well. Staff supported people to use IT and sensory equipment where they liked to do this, and people had decided how they wanted their rooms to be decorated. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were relaxed with staff and enjoyed spending time with them. People’s communication needs were known by staff who responded in the best way to support people’s day to day choices. Staff promoted people’s dignity and independence by encouraging and supporting people to make their own choices..

People’s care had been planned by taking their individual wishes and needs into account and was regularly reviewed. Staff communicated information regularly with other staff and relatives, so people’s care would be varied to meet their changing needs. People and their relatives knew how to raise any concerns or complaints they may have and were confident these would be addressed.

Staff had been supported to understand how they were to care for people so people would enjoy a good quality of life. The provider and the registered manager checked on the quality of the care provided to people by communicating with people and their relatives and checking their care records. The registered manager listened to the views of relatives and staff when developing people’s care and the home further. This included refurbishment of people's rooms and the communal areas of the home. Senior staff had built effective working relationships with other organisations so people would benefit from trying new experiences and the best chance to access health services.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.