Martins

Martins is a residential care home providing personal care and specialist support for up to two people with autism, learning disabilities, or emotional and anxious behaviors. The service focuses on giving residents meaningful lives with high levels of control, choice, and independence. Overall, the latest inspection highlights a compassionate, person-centered environment where residents are encouraged to build new skills, maintain active lifestyles, and engage closely with their local community.

Residents are kept safe through thorough risk assessments, stable management of conditions like epilepsy, and safe medicine practices that have even allowed one person to successfully reduce their medication. However, while safety and safeguarding measures are robustly in place, staff continue to closely monitor and manage potential behavioral triggers to prevent any avoidable distress.

Care delivery is effective, supported by a knowledgeable and well-trained staff team that understands individual needs and changing healthcare requirements. Residents are actively involved in maintaining balanced diets and managing their own health, though staff remain ready to step in and arrange professional appointments or introduce new training when health needs evolve.

The atmosphere is genuinely caring, with staff forming close, family-like bonds with residents and encouraging them to express their views and emotions openly. While relationships and communication between staff and residents are strong, the team constantly works on empowering residents to voice their preferences and navigate social situations independently.

Support is highly responsive and tailored to individual preferences, featuring personalized care plans, accessible information formats, and engaging activities ranging from local sports to trips abroad. Although there have been no formal complaints made, the service actively uses any minor daily incidents as learning opportunities to refine support strategies and prevent similar situations.

Leadership fosters a strong person-centered culture and an approachable management style, with the deputy manager currently applying to become the registered manager following a transition in late 2018. Despite this management change, the small staff team remains well-supported, organized, and dedicated to maintaining high standards of care across the home.