Membership review for Park House
By – Date of visit:
The membership review is intended to reflect the experiences of the visitor who might be looking for a placement.
The review is subjective, consistent and impartial, representing the impressions of our team member on the day of the visit. It is a snapshot view only. The contents of this review are intended to cover some of the subjects and issues which an individual, their relatives or their placement officer might ask.
This review has been published with the written agreement of the home owner, or an authorised representative of the company.
‘Park House seemed to be very much integrated into the fabric of Bromyard and staff and individuals from the home are well known and accepted by the community.’
Summary of findings
Park House is a very homely place which felt very integrated into the local community. I initially visited in 2012 and there have been several changes in aspects of the home and service delivery with a new Registered Manager, Amanda Mellings, in place. The individuals residing at Park House required a greater level of support and consequently were less independent.
I would see Park House as an excellent location for someone who has autism with additional complex needs. The additional building with accommodation for two individuals would be an excellent opportunity for more independent individuals perhaps looking to eventually move to a supported living arrangement.
Park House was seen to be somewhere an individual can integrate into a supportive community where people from the home can go about their business in the wider community and enjoy a ‘normal’ life.
The last inspection by the Care Quality Commission was carried out on the 14th of June and found Park House to be compliant in all areas.
Introduction
Park House is situated on the outskirts of the small market town of Bromyard. It was home to six people with learning disabilities; most individuals were on the autistic spectrum and had additional needs. There was a separate building on site which was a home for two more young people who would be able to live in a semi-supported environment; it was, however, unoccupied on the day of the visit.
The information set out in the Park House profile was also found to be correct as stated.
First Impressions
When proceeding up Sherford Street in Bromyard, Park House is toward the brow of the hill on the left hand side of the road.
There was a large automatic metal gate at the entrance when I last visited. This has now been removed and the approach to the house was much more welcoming with an open driveway. There were a number of colourful blooming potted plants on show as Park House was awaiting the judges for SENAD’s ‘Rowden in Bloom’ competition. The competition was open to every SENAD service in the locality, with the young people at Rowden House School, Cedar Lodge and residents at Winslow Court, Orchard End and Park House taking part.
I was met by Amanda Mellings outside the main building and she then took me round the building to show me the progress that had been made in the last two years.
The Environment (Internal)
There are six rooms in the main building which are all quite large. The individual rooms that I saw were very much personalised to suit the person living in it.
The house felt spacious, but also very homely After spending some time in the main building I was able to have a look at the two self-contained flatlets with their own kitchen and living space which allowed two young people to live in a semi supported way offering a real pathway to full supported living.
The Environment (External)
The accommodation, as discussed previously, was split into two sections. Since my last visit a lot of work had been undertaken in terms of making the garden areas seem more inviting with distinct areas for sitting out, growing plants and vegetables.
Probably the most effective and important change had been the conversion of the garage, previously used for storage into ’The Hive’, a large multi-purpose room where individuals could come and just chill out or play games, watch movies and engage in other leisure activities. ‘The Hive’ is also used as a venue for reviews allowing individuals to contribute more effectively to their review in a more relaxed setting.
As mentioned in an earlier paragraph, the drive and parking area had been opened out and looked significantly better.
The Environment (Wider environment)
Several young people had undertaken part-time and voluntary work in the community in the past, however there were no individuals residing at Park House at the time of my visit who were able to cope with such an undertaking due to the complexity of their needs. Individuals did, however, spend a lot of time frequenting the shops and cafés of Bromyard.
Staff indicated that there was a positive overall relationship with neighbours and with the local community.
Individuals from Park House also regularly attended ‘Yam Jams’ in Hereford which offered participants a unique musical experience and a social opportunity for people of all abilities in a community setting. Individuals also enjoyed attending Acton Mill Farm situated in the village of Suckley on the Herefordshire and Worcestershire borders, which promoted physical and mental well-being of individuals by providing an opportunity to be creative and caring whilst working in a rural working environment. Hereford and Worcester are the nearest major cities and various amenities could be accessed in those areas from both an educational (Worcester and Hereford Colleges) and leisure (Cinema and swimming baths) perspective.
There was a regular bus service from Bromyard to Hereford and Worcester, however, most of the time individuals were transported in company vehicles.
Understanding Autism
It was confirmed that staff are trained to understand the needs of people with autism throughout all of their induction training.
The environment, as mentioned in the previous section, was seen to be key as alterations had been made to cater for individuals' particular sensory issues. On an individual level, staff were observed interacting positively with a young man supporting him to have his breakfast and get ready to go out. Staff used Makaton in the main to communicate with him.
The adoption of NAPPI (Non-Abusive Psychological & Physical Intervention) training had been seen to reduce incidents of physical intervention and strategies for managing anxieties were seen to be much more bespoke to the individual.
Park House had a member of staff acting as an ‘Autism Champion’ to ensure that autism issues remained at the forefront of staff’s minds. Another staff member had a designated role as Equality and Diversity Champion.
Health and Wellbeing
All the people living at Park House were registered with the local General Practitioner. Medication was seen to be stored appropriately in robust lockable cabinets.
The speech and language therapist, based at Winslow Court, offered support to individuals at Park House and had developed a communication passport for each individual.
The staff team had extensive clinical support from a psychologist, speech and language therapist and occupational therapist under the title of the Inter Disciplinary Team. There was also a Health Promotion Manager who brought together all the wellbeing issues for each individual and monitored their progress in conjunction with keyworkers and the Inter Disciplinary Team.
Individuals living in the home
Since my last visit to in 2012 the nature of the client group has changed with individuals residing at Park House, at the time of my visit, having a greater complexity of needs and requiring a greater level of support.
The two empty flatlets adjacent to the main house were much more suited to individuals who were able to live more independently.
Staffing
The staff induction process took three months to be successfully completed. All shift leaders had supervisory and management training and staff received supervisions on a monthly basis. There was a staff handbook supplied to each member of staff which covers areas such as conduct and appropriate dress, as well as support mechanisms.
No staff were allowed to work with individuals at Park House until they had completed a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
Several staff had achieved the Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) Level 3 Award.
Amanda stated that agency workers had been used for the first time in over a year due to recent staff sickness. She confirmed that any agency staff are supplied via Ranstad and that they only supplied the same individuals who had been through SENAD’s induction.
Management of the home
Policies and procedures relating to the running of the home were available for staff to peruse. Staff supervisions were carried out on a monthly basis.
NAPPI (Non-Abusive Psychological & Physical Intervention) had now been full adopted as the background of the behaviour management strategy.
An independent counselling service was purchased externally by the company for staff to use.
Amanda Mellings, the Registered Manager, had been in post for 18 months and had overseen a lot of positive changes in the service. Amanda felt that Park House’s unique quality was their community and parental involvement, and that they believed in being part of the local community and involving parents in all decisions. Their person-centred approach enabled all residents to develop at their own pace and the new Hive leisure room has enabled improvement in quality leisure time onsite including parties and social events.
Amanda stated that over the next two years the grounds and home environment would be further improved to include landscape gardening. Staff development and understanding of legislation would be improved via development hours which would improve staff practice.
Conclusion
I would see Park House as an excellent choice for someone with autism and additional complex needs. Park House seemed to be very much integrated into the fabric of Bromyard and staff and individuals from the home are well known and accepted by the community. Staff at Park House have the ability to call on the expertise and specialist input from the Interdisciplinary Team based at nearby Winslow Court, all in all it amounts to a really strong package.
Visiting Officer: Craig Godding, Director of Operations
Living Autism