Moorpark Place, our residential service for adults with autism and learning disabilities based in North Ayrshire, Scotland, has been officially recognised with the Autism Specialist Accredited Award – a significant milestone in Moorpark’s ongoing commitment to providing outstanding care for autistic people.
The accolade, part of the National Autistic Society’s (NAS) Autism Accreditation Programme, is the only autism-specific quality assurance programme in the UK.
It recognises services that demonstrate a deep understanding of autism and a commitment to continuous improvement and high-quality support tailored to individual needs.
The staff at Moorpark Place embarked on a detailed and rigorous process of self-audit, consultant-led planning, and assessment. The programme included day-to-day practice observations, key documentation reviews, and conversations with staff, the individuals we support, and family members. An online survey gathered valuable feedback from families and autistic individuals connected to the service.
Margaret-Ann Robinson, the Registered Manager at Moorpark Place, reflected on the achievement: “The reward is an endorsement that we strive to provide the best support service, especially recognised as a service specific to our Autistic individuals. As a manager, I believe this is a triumph for all our staff, seniors, the MDT team, and deputies who have worked tirelessly to evidence the changes in approach and our dedication to getting it right.”
Deputy Manager Diane Kelly highlighted the value of the process itself: “The National Autistic Society’s accreditation award verifies that our service meets the independent body’s established quality standards. It is inspiring to see our positive work recognised when achieving such accreditation.
During the NAS consultant’s visits, they invested a lot of time in discussing the self-audit tool, which reflected good practice and showed the scope for further development. At Moorpark, we want to provide the highest level of care so that the individuals we support can reach their full potential.”
Ross Reilly, Assistant Psychologist at the service, added: “Being awarded the Autism Accreditation shows that Moorpark is not only person-centred but deeply autism centred. It reflects our passion for improving the lives of individuals through personalised care, evidence-based practice, and a constant drive to be better.”
Speech and Language Therapist Nick Gilbert echoed this sentiment: “Achieving this accreditation is great for Moorpark, as it shows all the hard work that staff and the individuals we support do to communicate with each other. We will always aim to be a total communication environment; hopefully, we can continue doing so even better in the future!”
Moorpark Place’s pursuit of excellence never stops – the service is working towards the Advanced Autism Accreditation! Congratulations to everyone at Moorpark on this fantastic achievement.
