Ashley Court Care Limited

Updated 3 April 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Ashley Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, who was also the provider. This means they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. We have referred to them as the provider in the report.

The provider was not available during the inspection. We were assisted by the deputy manager.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection and sought feedback from the local authority who arrange placements on behalf of people. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. Some people were unable to give us their views in any detail because they were living with dementia. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with four members of staff including care workers and the deputy manager, and two visiting professionals.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. Records relating to the management of the service were not available to us during the inspection visit.

After the inspection

We contacted the provider to request information which was not available to us during the inspection, to seek clarification from them and to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance information including safety audits and checks, complaints records, and analysis of feedback from people, relatives and staff.

Updated 3 April 2020

About the service

Ashley Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 28 people aged 65 and over. The accommodation is provided in a single building, arranged over two floors, with communal facilities including two lounges, a dining room, hairdressing salon, conservatory and secure garden. At the time of our inspection, 24 people were using the service, some of whom were living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The provider monitored the quality and safety of the service. However, improvements were needed to ensure staff were clear on their role in the management of the service in the event of the provider being absent from the service. Medicines audits and monitoring of consent related activity also needed to be improved, to ensure they were consistently effective in identifying and rectifying any shortfalls.

People told us the staff always respected their privacy and dignity and provided care in their preferred way. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; however, some improvements were needed to the policies and systems in the service to demonstrate they consistently supported this practice.

People felt safe and were protected from the risk of harm by staff who understood their responsibilities to identify and report any signs of potential abuse. Any concerns were taken seriously and investigated in line with local safeguarding procedures.

There were enough, suitably recruited staff to meet people’s needs. Staff received training and ongoing support to meet people’s individual needs. Staff worked closely with other professionals, who were positive about the care and support people received.

People were supported to take part in activities and social events which were inclusive and based on their interests. People benefited from close links with the local community which helped to increase friendships and reduce social isolation.

The provider and staff promoted a caring, inclusive atmosphere. People and their relatives felt confident any concerns and complaints they raised would be acted on. There were systems in place to capture people’s views on how the service could be improved and these were acted on. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt supported and valued by the provider.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 4 October 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.