Ashby Court Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion, and their privacy and dignity were promoted and respected. Staff interacted with people, relatives and professionals in a caring and respectful manner. Where a concern relating to a person's dignity was identified, the provider responded openly and took appropriate action to improve practice.

Throughout our visit, we observed staff interacting with people in a warm, kind and respectful manner. Support was delivered with patience and sensitivity, reflecting people's individual needs and preferences. For example, we saw a person who was becoming unsettled while seeking reassurance. A staff member sat beside them, held their hand and offered calm reassurance. The person responded positively and appeared more relaxed following the interaction. We also observed staff waking people gently and at a pace that suited them, ensuring they felt comfortable and respected. These interactions demonstrated staff knew people well and were committed to delivering compassionate, person-centred care.

We identified one isolated incident where a person's dignity had not been fully upheld and raised this with the provider during the assessment. The provider responded promptly, reviewing the circumstances and taking action to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. This included reinforcing expected standards of practice with staff, providing additional guidance and introducing a monitoring tool to strengthen oversight. Leaders adopted an open and transparent approach, using the incident as a learning opportunity to reinforce the importance of dignity, respect and person-centred care. These actions demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and supporting staff to consistently uphold people's dignity.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff used life history information, meaningful occupation plans and personalised wellbeing programmes to develop a detailed understanding of what matter most to people. This enable individuals to pursue interests, maintain valued roles and take part in activities that reflected their preferences, strengths and aspirations. People were supported to retain important aspects of their identity, continue hobbies they enjoyed and achieve outcomes that were meaningful to them, contributing positively to their well being, sense of purpose and quality of life.

People were encourage to remain active and share their skills and interest with others. For example, one person who had previously enjoyed attending exercise and fitness classes continued to pursue this passion after moving into the home and was supported to lead a weekly exercise calls for fellow residents. Another person was supported to continue playing the piano, enabling them to maintain a valued like skill an important aspect of their identity.

The provider also supported people to make meaningful contributions to their local community. Through the Neonatal Hats Project, residents knitted hats for babies in the local hospital and, with staff support, personally delivered these donations to the neonatal unit. This enabled people to continue hobbies that were important to them while making a valued contribution to others. Residents described feeling a sense of pride, achievement and purpose from knowing their skills continued t make a positive difference within the community.

People’s care records reflected their individual food and drink preferences, including their likes and dislikes. Care plans provided staff with clear guidance to ensure these preferences were respected and incorporated into everyday support. We observed people being encouraged to make their own choices about what they ate and drank, including whether they wished to consume alcohol, demonstrating respect for their personal preferences, independence, and lifestyle choices.

Peoples religious and spiritual needs were also respected and supported. The local church visited the home weekly, giving residents the opportunity to maintain their faith and take part in familiar religious practices.

These examples demonstrated a highly personalised approach to supporting people to pursue their interests, maintain their independence and achieve outcomes that were important to them. The impact was evident in people's increased confidence, well being, sense of purpose and continued connection to both their identities and the wider community.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Care was planned around people’s individual strengths and abilities, identifying what they could do independently and where support was required. Staff provided assistance when needed while encouraging people to remain actively involved in their daily lives and make decisions about their care and support. Throughout our visit, we observed people directing aspects of their own care and support, with staff responding to their choice and preferences in a respectful and person-centred way. This helped people maintain control over their lives, promote their independence and ensure care was delivered in a way that mattered to them.

This person-centred approach promoted independence and helped ensure support was provided in the least restrictive way. People’s wishes, choices and preferences were consistently considered and reflected in the delivery and ongoing review of their care.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff knew people well and demonstrated a good understanding of their individual needs, preferences, and behaviours. Care plans provided clear guidance on recognising early signs of distress, and approaches staff should take to support people. During our inspection, we found examples were staff provided reassurance, comfort and emotional support, however this was not always delivered consistently.

The provider had policies and procedures in place outlining the actions staff should take in response to a person's deteriorating health, accident, or incident. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities and knew when and how to seek appropriate medical attention to ensure people received timely support and treatment.

People told us staff were responsive when they requested support or assistance and confident their needs would be met in a timely manner. Feedback indicated staff were attentive, visible within the home and willing to provide support when needed. One person told us, “The staff are always there when I need them.” This demonstrated people felt reassured that help was available when required, helping them to maintain their wellbeing, feel supported and remain confident that their needs would be responded to promptly.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The service demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting staff wellbeing and fostering a positive, inclusive working environment. Systems were in place to promote staff wellbeing and engagement, including an open-door policy which enabled staff to approach the management team for advice, guidance and support. Feedback about leaders was overwhelmingly positive, with staff describing managers as approachable, responsive and invested in their wellbeing and professional development.

Staff consistently described a supportive culture where they felt valued, listened to and empowered in their roles. One staff member said, "I don't generally feel rushed and have enough time to sit and talk to people," while another told us, "We are able to support people with meals and offer drinks whenever needed." Staff also spoke positively about opportunities to develop their skills, gain qualifications and progress their careers, and felt confident that any concerns raised would be listened to and acted upon.

This supportive culture enabled staff to spend meaningful time with people, build positive relationships and deliver person-centred care. As a result, people benefited from support provided by a motivated and engaged workforce who had the time, confidence and skills to respond to their individual needs and preferences.