Ashley Cooper House

Updated 23 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 27 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service two days' notice of the inspection.

Updated 23 February 2022

About the service

Ashley Cooper House is a residential care home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to 16 people some of whom have physical disabilities. At the time of this inspection, 12 people were receiving support from this service.

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

Care records lacked information related to discussions that staff had with people about their end of life wishes. We made a recommendation about this.

Although some staff had not recently completed training in mental health awareness and epilepsy, they had guidance on how to support people safely. People were not always involved in making food choices, but they enjoyed the meals provided. Staff were not provided with opportunities to share their feedback anonymously should they wanted to. Immediately after the inspection, the registered manager told us the actions they took to address these areas.

Staff followed the provider’s procedures to support people safely if they noticed them being at risk of harm or when incidents and accidents took place. Risk management plans were robust and person-centred. Pre-employment checks took place to ensure staff’s suitability for the job. People had support to manage their medicines safely. Systems were in place to ensure hygienic care for people.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Healthcare professionals guided staff where people required support to meet their health needs. Information was collected to assess people’s care needs to ensure they were provided with the right support.

People and their relatives told us that staff were caring and compassionate. They knew people’s personal histories and their individual support needs. People had opportunities to discuss their choices in how they wanted to be cared for. Staff supported people to enhance their independence where possible.

People’s care plans were detailed and person-centred. Staff were aware of how best to support people with their communication needs. People were provided with information on how to report their concerns and felt confident to approach the management team if needed.

There was a good leadership at the service promoting staff’s support in their job and encouraging development to motivate them in providing good care for people. Team working values were shared aiming to achieve high quality services. Quality assurance processes were in place to monitor the effectiveness of the care being delivered for people.

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 7 March 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.