Archived: Ashley Court Care Home

One person told us, " The staff here are wonderful, very caring and helpful". Another person told us, " I enjoy living here,everyone is very friendly".

We completed this inspection to follow up on serious issues related to the care and welfare of people who lived at Ashley Court Care Home identified at the last inspection which was completed during February 2014.

At this inspection we found that people who used the service received care and treatment that was planned in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. Delivery of care reflected people's assessed needs and people's health, safety and well-being was fully protected.

People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected.

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes.

We found that the delivery of care did not reflect people's assessed need and that people's health, safety and well-being was not always protected.

The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service and others.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment. People's personal records including medical records were generally accurate.

People's privacy and dignity was not consistently protected and staff did not always involve them in how their care and support was given.

People who were able to give consent to their care and treatment were involved in decision making processes. However, if an individual was unable to give informed consent process had not been followed which ensured their rights were protected.

Care and treatment was not consistently assessed and planned and action was not always taken to ensure their needs were met.

There were sufficient numbers of care staff and ancillary staff available to support people to meet their needs.

We looked at the range of systems and processes the provider had in place to monitor the quality of service delivery. We found that the home had well-developed systems for reviewing and monitoring the quality of service provided to people. Risks related to health and welfare of people had been identified and assessed, but interventions had not been made in a timely manner.

People were not protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were not maintained.

People consented to care and treatment before they received it. There was documentary evidence of decision making processes and when applicable copies of powers of attorney held on people's behalf.

All the people we spoke with said that staff were "very kind, attentive and patient" and they received "excellent care". They confirmed that they were involved in formulating their plan of care and reviews. Care plans we examined were individualised and had appropriate risk assessments in place for areas such as skin condition and moving and handling. When a person had specific needs such as a catheter or nutritional needs there were detailed care plans in place.

Medicines were handled, administered and disposed of appropriately and there were regular audits to ensure procedures had been followed correctly.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff and considered that they received care from care workers they knew.

The provider has suitable arrangements in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.