Ashbourne Lodge

Updated 20 January 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 13 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 20 January 2022

About the service

Ashbourne Lodge is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to 50 older people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 54 people.

The home is in the town of Ashbourne and the home is one building with bedrooms on the ground and first floor. All shared accommodation, including lounges, a bar, cinema room and reminiscence room is on the ground floor. There is a ballroom people can use on the first floor.

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

People and their relatives felt they received exceptional care and staff were extremely caring. Feedback regarding the care provided was overwhelmingly positive and staff went the extra mile to ensure people felt valued. Staff knew people very well and care was organised to ensure people had a purpose and had meaningful activities to participate in. The staff were thoughtful and empowered people to take control of their life and retain their independence. People’s care was regularly reviewed and the care was flexible and staff responded to changes to ensure people remained well supported and were happy.

Positive and caring relationships had been developed, and people was supported with dignity and respect. People had opportunities to meet with children and local residents who visited the home and shared time with them. The staff were committed to caring for people with dementia as well as supporting family members and being part of their local community.

People were supported to make decisions about their care and family and friends could provide support and advice. 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. People felt safe and risk management plans were in place to help keep them from harm. People were not restricted from perceived risk and able to continue to do what they enjoyed. The staff were proud of the service they provided and committed to delivering a personalised service.

The staff were passionate about providing exceptional individualised care for people living with dementia. The provider had invested heavily in training to ensure the entire staff team understood how to provide people’s care. All the staff were motivated and were encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge and were passionate about delivering people’s care.

There was an open and supportive culture, which focused on delivering the best possible service for people. People were encouraged to comment on the quality of the service and their feedback was used to develop and enhance the service provided. The staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure their care was well organised and exceeded their expectations. Where people were nearing the end of their life, they could share how they wanted to be supported and this was respected to ensure they could end their life without pain and with dignity.

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 27 April 2017)