The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by four services at Alderwood in Northamptonshire to be Outstanding overall following inspections in January.
Alderwood provides residential care and supported living for young people and adults who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders and challenging behaviour. People live in adapted care homes where they receive nursing and personal care.
Alderwood has ten individual services in Northamptonshire and CQC inspectors visited four services in January 2018. Inspectors found staff were caring and compassionate and people were being provided with safe, responsive, caring, effective and well-led care. Full inspection reports have been published on CQC’s website:
Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all adult social care services are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The above four services at Alderwood were rated Outstanding overall.
Rob Assall-Marsden, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the central region, said:
“Our inspection team was really impressed by the level of care and support offered to people living at these services provided by Alderwood."
“People using these services were supported to work towards and complete major achievements in their lives. Alderwood helped strengthen their positive links with resource centres for people with a learning disability, local leisure facilities, health and wellbeing providers and employers who offered work placements."
“The services are flexible and adapt to people's changing needs and desires, enabling positive outcomes for all concerned. People felt a part of their community and were able to take pride in their achievements."
“Feedback from relatives was extremely positive and many commented on the unique nature of the service and how their own lives had also improved. The service had a consistently high level of engagement with relatives of people that used the service"
“The provider was involved with the development of a national initiative to try and prevent the over-medication of people with learning disabilities or autism and this ethos was firmly embedded within the service."
“Alderwood continued to be awarded by external bodies for educating the wider community about positive approaches to autism and for the ongoing investment into the strong development within their staff team."
“All of this meant people received a high standard of care, which is why it has been rated Outstanding.”
Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said:
“The quality of care which our inspectors found here was exceptional and I am very pleased that we can celebrate the service’s achievements."
“An outstanding service is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.”
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Our inspection team was really impressed by the level of care and support offered to people living at these services provided by Alderwood
Rob Assall-Marsden, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the central region