Ashcott House

Updated 12 October 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Aschott House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Aschott House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met 5 people living at the service and observed staff interactions with people. We spoke with 3 care staff, the and the registered manager. We also spoke with 2 care professionals visiting the service. We reviewed 2 people's care records, medicines records and associated risk assessments. We reviewed 2 staff files in relation to recruitment.

Following our inspection visit, we had email correspondence from 5 staff. We also spoke with 5 people's relatives by telephone about the care and support their family member received.

Updated 12 October 2023

About the service

Aschott House is a residential care home providing personal care and support for up to 7 people who have a learning disability and/or who are autistic. There were 7 people living in the service on the day of our inspection visit.

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

Right Support:

The service supported people to have choices and promoted their independence. Staff had completed training to ensure they understood how to support people appropriately. A staff member said, "I have all the training and support I need to care for and support people safely, these are updated and done on a regular basis to keep my knowledge fresh and clear.” People were encouraged to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff helped them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s medicines were managed by trained staff.

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.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care from staff at the service. Staff and the management team protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They spoke about people with respect and were knowledgeable about people living at the service. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. They had received training on how to recognise and report abuse. Training in this area was regularly updated. There were sufficient appropriately recruited and skilled staff to meet people’s needs and encourage them to develop their life skills. Risks to people were appropriately managed.

Right Culture:

The service promoted person-centred care involving people who used the service and their families. People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management team and staff. People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning people’s care. Relatives told us they were comfortable visiting the service and that their relative thought of the service as their home. The management team had a range of systems and processes to monitor the quality of the service and drive improvements.

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 10 November 2017).

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.