Membership review for 81 West Way

This membership review is intended to reflect the experiences of the visitor who might be looking for a placement. It is subjective, consistent and impartial and reflects the impressions of our team member on the day of the visit. It is a snapshot view only. The contents of the review are intended to cover some of the subjects and issues which an individual, their relatives or their placement officer might ask.

Summary of findings

I visited the project on two occasions, the last being at the end of February 2013.The finish and look inside of the Westway building is similar to an exclusive minimal modern hotel or apartment although with home comforts.There is a definite focus on autism. The service has begun to offer respite places, but there were no individuals at the service on the day of the visit so I could not comment on any staff/client interactions from an observational perspective. Nevertheless, I was taken by the sheer potential of the service.

Introduction

London Autism Support and Services, known as LASS, have worked for several years supporting individuals on the autistic spectrum through outreach and advocacy work throughout the West London area. They have recently been approved by the Care Quality Commission to offer the Westway respite/short term break service. The Care Quality Commission were apparently so impressed with what they found they asked when the next service would be opening. The service is headed by Elly Simbano who has spent many years working with individuals on the autistic spectrum.

The service can provide short term break opportunities from a single night to a fortnight.

The Environment (External)

The façade of the property fits well into the quiet residential neighbourhood. There is CCTV fitted for security purposes, but this is not intrusive and only covers external areas. The property can be accessed via a side entrance as well as the front door which means that individuals could access the annexe building without disturbing the main house. At the rear of the property there is a brand new decking area which leads down onto the lawn. At the end of the garden there is the afore-mentioned annexe which comprises of a dual purpose meeting and relaxation area with a very large sensory room behind it complete with projectors and multi functioning LED’s.

The Environment (Internal)

The building has been newly renovated and is finished to a very high specification. The overall environment could be described as modern, minimal, unfussy and low arousal. There are three bedrooms (Purple, Orange and Green). The purple room is ideal for individuals with an additional physical or mobility difficulty being on the ground floor and close to a wet room. The Green room has a view overlooking the back garden. All bedrooms have double beds, wardrobes, a sink and wall-mounted, boxed-in televisions. The fully fitted kitchen can be sectioned off if necessary by an electric metal shutter. There is a very comfortable main lounge, but also a lounge area in the annexe at the end of the garden which also features a large sensory room.

On the first floor of the house there is a computer room which can be used by both staff and residents. Individuals using the service can either bring their own computer and plug in to the wireless service or use the computers in the ICT room.

The Environment (Wider Environment)

Westway is situated in a very peaceful area of Heston in the Hounslow area of West London. Although the service can provide many activities on site, the Registered Manager was keen to point out that he would want any individual staying at Westway to access activities both in the local community and beyond.

Westway is within walking distance of Hounslow West underground station which allows a direct route into London and there is also a regular bus service with a bus stop around 5 minutes walk away.

I was told that the service will also have both a car and people carrier available.

Westway is quite close to Heathrow airport, but during my two visits there I have to say that the aircraft noise was not particularly noticeable.

Understanding Autism

The management team possess many years’ experience working with individuals on the autistic spectrum. Elly Simbano, the Registered Manager, has achieved a Masters Degree in autism. The core staff team are very autism focused and have essentially designed the environment around individuals on the autistic spectrum.

The environment is very minimal without feeling stark. The furniture is robust with televisions and radiators all boxed in. I did not feel this looked oppressive, rather more  a part of risk management and generally providing a low arousal environment.

The Registered Manager spoke of the use of a four-part person-centred plan which would be as user friendly as possible enabling a new member of staff to quickly familiarise themselves with the needs of the individual they were working with.

Health and Wellbeing

I was told that all staff working at Westway will be trained in the safe handling of medication and the staff who were offering support at the time were all qualified to administer medication.

Individuals can use other specialist services like aromatherapy or chiropody as part of their stay.

The fire alarm system is connected directly into the local fire service switchboard. Both the fire safety and general health and safety policies have been reviewed by external organisations.

In terms of diet and nutrition, the Registered Manager stated that he did not feel that there would be any set menu’s in place but that any specific dietary needs based on medical or cultural needs could and would be met.

Individuals being supported

The service had only just opened and although the first few individuals had begun to enjoy some stays at Westway there were no individuals staying on the day of the review visit. I do however believe that the service could be offered to individuals across the autistic spectrum with additional difficulties both learning and physical.

Despite the service only offering short breaks to individuals, a key-worker system will still operate allowing family members a single named contact point and maintaining a level of consistency should the individual return for a number of stays at Westway. The Registered Manager stated that as the numbers of individuals using the service increases he will look at putting together groups of individuals that are most compatible.

Staffing

I understand that no member of staff will beallowed to work with an individual before having a satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau or Protection of Vulnerable Adults check.The induction period for new staff members is 2 weeks and there is a 3 month probationary period. All staff will receive mandatory training which will take in areas such as Person Centred Planning, safeguarding, safe handling of medication and more specific autism focused training such as TEACCH and SPELL.

I was told that staff will receive supervision sessions every four weeks or every fortnight if they are new.

All staff working at Westway were or would be trained in Studio 3 de-escalation techniques to aid management of challenging behaviour.

Management of the service

As previously mentioned, Elly Simbano is the Registered Manager and he would carry out formal supervision sessions on a monthly basis to members of the staff team as they grow in number.

A whole range of policies and procedures were seen to be in place in Westway’s office.

The fees for a placement at Westway are £28 per hour (8am to 10pm) with a waking night being £120 and £80 for a member of staff sleeping in.

Conclusion

Although I could not observe any individuals availing themselves of the service during my visits I believe that the Westway respite service has everything in place to provide an excellent and much needed short term break service in West London. The highly skilled staff team coupled with high quality facilities make this a really attractive option.

---

Visiting Officer - Craig Godding 
Director of Compliance and Client Liaison, Living Autism