The Care Quality Commission
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Ash Court Care Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Brookside Avenue, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, L14 7NB (0151) 259 7522

Provided and run by:
HC-One Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 10 February to 4 March 2025. Ash Court care home provides care and support for older people and those living with dementia, with capacity to support up to 42 people. We carried out this inspection due to concerns about people’s care and a high number of serious injuries to people using the service over a 12-month period. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the service and management. Staff were attentive and treated people with kindness and compassion. Staff knew how to support people in a way which respected their decisions and supported them to make choices. People’s needs were assessed, and care plans were in place, although these were sometimes inconsistent, and some had not been reviewed regularly. Although people received the medicines they were prescribed, medicines were not always safely managed. Some areas of the home needed updating and consideration needed to be given to storage arrangements to ensure means of escape were kept clear from equipment. Despite these issues, people told us they were happy with the support they received, and staff worked collaboratively with other services to promote people’s wellbeing and ensure smooth transitions when moving between services. People had enough to eat and drink to maintain their health, and staff demonstrated kindness and compassion in their interactions. Appropriate referrals were made to other healthcare providers when required. Staff ensured people understood their care and treatment to support informed decision-making, and those important to the individual were involved when where necessary. People’s views and feedback were sought however, when we spoke to people, they did not always know how to raise concerns due to lack of information by the provider. Staff felt supported in their roles and reported being encouraged to provide feedback. Staff were recruited safely, received appropriate training for their roles and told us they felt well supported.

9 November 2023

During a routine inspection

Ash Court is a residential care service that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 42 people. It accommodates people across 2 floors, each of which has separate facilities. At the time of our inspection, there were 40 people living at the home.

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

Staff were recruited and selected safely, and medicines were appropriately managed. Incidents and accidents were appropriately recorded and analysed for patterns and trends. Risks to people’s health and well-being were assessed and reviewed appropriately. Staff could clearly describe the course of action they would take if they felt someone was being harmed or abused. Safety checks on the environment were in place and robust. Everyone we spoke with said they felt safe living at the home. There were enough staff to ensure people were kept safe, and call bells were answered in a timely manner.

Staff were appropriately trained and supervised to enable them to carry out their roles. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over 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. People were supported to eat a balanced diet. We received positive feedback regarding the food.

People said the staff were kind and caring, and we observed warm and familiar caring interactions between staff and people throughout the duration of our inspection. People said staff were “100 out of 100”, “kind” and “patient”. We heard staff asking people if they wanted or needed any help or support during our inspection. People were very at home in the service and their dignity was promoted well.

People and relatives told us how they were supported by staff to follow their interests and engage in relevant and meaningful activities which gave them purpose. There was particular emphasis on tasks people could do for themselves, such as washing, dressing and choosing what they wore, how they spent their day, and what time they wanted to get up and go to bed.

There was a complaints policy in place, which was made available in different formats to support people’s understanding. We reviewed some recent complaints and saw they had been responded to in line with policy and procedure. Care plans were person centered and reviewed regularly to ensure any changing needs were taken into account.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home, and they felt they could approach the registered manager to help them develop further in their roles or if they had any concerns. The registered manager was well known. Staff told us the registered manager led by example and had ‘worked hard’. The registered manager welcomed feedback and was responsive. All notifications had been sent to the CQC, and the registered manager understood what was expected of them.

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 the service under the previous provider was good (published on 18 July 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.