The inspection took place on 15 November 2017 and was announced.

Woodland Grove is registered to provide accommodation for up to five people with autism who need support with their personal care. On the day of our inspection there were five men living at the service. The accommodation is provided over three floors of a large semidetached house in a residential area of Birkenhead. Access to the building and upper floors are by way of stairs.

At the last inspection on 10 August 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service had a relaxed and homely feel and people could move freely around the service as they chose. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and participate in activities they enjoyed. A relative commented “He has opportunities he has never had before with the minimum amount of restrictions and a considerable amount of love”.

People’s individual needs had been assessed and used to develop support plans. These provided staff with guidance about the care and support people needed and how they wanted this to be provided. People were consulted about their care to ensure wishes and preferences were met. People chose how to spend their day and they took part in a wide range of activities they enjoyed and encouraged to stay in touch with their families and friends.

People received a varied and nutritional diet that met their preferences and dietary needs.

People were supported by a consistent staff team who knew them well. Staff had been recruited safely and had the skills and experience to meet people’s needs and provide effective care. A relative told us “I’m very happy with the staff and their depth of knowledge. They just get autism”.

People received their medicine safely and were supported to access the support of health care professionals when needed. People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report it.

Staff considered peoples capacity using the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) as guidance. The provider was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

The management team were approachable and they and the staff team worked in collaboration with external agencies to provide good outcomes for people. Staff felt any concerns would be taken seriously and acted on. Processes were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided and drive improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.