- Care home
Asher House
Assessment report published 29 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 17 September to 16 October 2026. Asher House provides support to autistic people and those with a learning disability and a range of associated mental health needs. The service has been designed to support people with ongoing complex needs who are stepping down from hospital or to avoid an inappropriate admission to hospital. The maximum number of people who can live at the service is 6. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 5 people living in their own single self-contained apartments within Asher House. This was the first assessment of the service since it was registered with CQC in May 2022. This was because the service was dormant from February 2023 to January 2025. When a provider is registered but nobody is using either the location or a regulated activity, we refer to it as a dormant service.
We have assessed the service against the ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ (RS, RC, RC) guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The service had been designed in line with RS, RC, RC guidance. It is a small service situated within the local community, made up of individual apartments to allow people to live in their own home, as well as having access to a range of communal facilities within the building to avoid isolation.
Right Culture - The provider had systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service to support the safe delivery of care. However, systems to check safety and maintenance of the premises, including fire safety and legionella required further strengthening. Records and risk assessments were not consistently held at the service, making it difficult to demonstrate that identified actions had been completed. The registered manager responded proactively confirming all health and safety records were being transferred to a digital platform to improve accessibility, oversight and ongoing monitoring. The provider valued their workforce demonstrating an exceptional commitment to staff wellbeing, inclusion and professional development resulting in a stable and motivated workforce. Staff felt valued, respected and well supported, which contributed to a positive culture and consistently good outcomes for people.
Right care – People received the right care because their views and opinions had been captured, respected, listened to and implemented as part of their day-to-day support. People had been involved in decisions about their care, including how risks to their safety were managed. This enabled staff to support and empower people to take positive risks, respecting their choices while helping them engage safely in activities that mattered to them. The service employed enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. Staffing levels and staff competencies matched the needs of people using the service, including the provision of 1-to-1 and 2-to-1 staff support which helped ensure they received consistent, safe and good-quality care.
Right support - People received care and support from staff that knew them well and understood how to meet their needs safely and supportively. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's individual needs and how to support them to achieve positive outcomes and maintain a good quality of life. Staff demonstrated a caring and compassionate approach, taking time to understand what people were experiencing and communicating during periods of anxiety or distress. Positive behaviour support (PBS) plans, developed in conjunction with the PBS team, provided staff with clear guidance to ensure people received consistent and effective support to reduce distress while protecting their rights, dignity and wellbeing. External healthcare professionals were complimentary about how the service worked with them and supported people.
People's experience of this service
People able and willing to speak with us told us they were happy living in their home. One person told us, “Happy here, staff are nice and good to me”. Where people were unable to share their views, we used observation to assess the quality of care. People appeared at ease in their home environment and comfortable with staff. People’s apartments had been decorated to reflect their tastes and personalities and meet their sensory needs. Appropriate signage was displayed throughout the service to help autistic people and those with intellectual disabilities navigate their way around independently. People’s relatives told us they were assured their family members were safe and were consistently positive about the caring attitude of staff. Comments included, “My [Person] is happy living at Asher House, and it is home. As long as my [Person] is happy, I am happy,” and "Since my [Person] moved into Asher House, their behaviours are managed very well. The staff read and understand their care plan. They know when [Person] is looking unhappy and intervene very quickly. My [Person] is a lot calmer, and I could not ask for more."
The registered manager and staff were observed treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion. People appeared comfortable and at ease in staff's presence, regularly approaching them for support, reassurance or conversation. People were supported to exercise choice and control in their daily life, including how they spent their day at home, or in the local community. One person told us, “I went to KFC yesterday, and going again today”. A relative commented, “My [Person] is supported to be as independent and possible, if they can do something, they are supported to do it. [Person] is offered choice.” The service promoted an exceptionally inclusive culture. People using the service and staff came from a range of diverse cultural backgrounds and differences were actively celebrated. Events such as, a neighbourhood BBQ and World Food day had brought people, staff and neighbours together to share food, experiences and traditions from different cultures, fostering a strong sense of belonging, mutual respect and community.