Ashton Meadows Nursing Home

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. This is the first assessment for this service since registration in July 2024. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

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.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

The provider’s systems enabled staff to promptly report and record safety concerns. Managers investigated reported concerns to understand the cause and acted to reduce the risk of these occurring again. They shared learning from these investigations with the staff team to promote continuous improvement and safety at the service.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safesystems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services.

The provider had effective systems and good relationships with healthcare partners, to ensure people received safe and appropriate care and support as soon as they started using the service. A healthcare partner, specialising in end-of-life care, told us, “A big part of my role is fast tracking and supporting discharge with end-of-life patients to a place of safety and comfort. Sometimes, with a great deal of urgency while remaining safe and providing a smooth transition from hospital back to the community. I find Ashton Meadows very accommodating with this. They will often be very proactive and carry out assessments on the same day as the fast-track application. This for me is very helpful, as a lot of the time we have a very small window to safely transfer via transport and being 1 day ahead of the process is often the difference between people dying in hospital versus dying within the community.”

The provider worked with people to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately.

People were supported to understand their right to live in safety, as soon as they started using the service. People were provided with information about how they would be safeguarded and what they could do if they had concerns about their safety. People told us they were safe at the service. One person said, “I do feel safe and have done from the word go. I suppose that is because there is always someone about to help if you need it.” A relative told us, “[Family member] is safe because even at night there are always caring staff looking after her.”

Staff understood how to safeguard people at the service. A staff member said, “I would report to nurses immediately if I thought someone was being abused. It’s better here, we can report directly to the nurse or managers, they’re approachable. Nurses would record and escalate.”

The registered manager made timely safeguarding referrals when required and worked with the relevant partners to ensure people were safeguarded from further risk.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). Appropriate legal authorisations were in place to deprive people of their liberty where this was deemed necessary to ensure their safety.

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

People were supported to stay safe whilst doing the things that mattered to them. A person told us, “Anything that I have wanted to do, nobody has put up any barriers.” When people took part in activities, events or outings, staff checked they were safe and comfortable taking part. The registered manager said, “When people go out, we plan it to make sure people can go out with the right level of support.”

People spent their time as they wished at the service and were not subject to unnecessary restrictions. Staff remained vigilant to people’s whereabouts and present and available in case people required their assistance. One person told us, “They always seem to be aware of where you are.”

People’s records contained information about risks to their safety and how these should be managed to keep them safe from harm. Staff understood risks to people and followed their care and risk management plans to manage these. A relative told us, “The staff know about any risks [family member] has. For example, if she tries to get up out of a chair and move without help, that is a great risk for her of falling, and the staff are aware of that.”

Systems were in place to ensure risks to people were continually assessed, monitored and reviewed by managers.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

Safety systems and equipment were maintained and serviced at regular intervals, so that they remained in good order and safe for use. Plans were in place to manage risks posed by the environment. These were monitored and reviewed at regular intervals by managers to make sure these remained appropriate.

Staff understood the importance of maintaining a safe environment for people. A staff member said, “We are keeping the environment clean and safe for people. It’s part of the caring for people; to make sure they have everything they need, [and it’s] safe and clean. We are managing risks in their home, through the building.”

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

People told us there were enough staff to meet their needs, who worked together to meet these. One person said, “I would say that there are enough, both day and evening. You are familiar with whom everyone is, so I think the consistency is there.” A relative told us, “It is well staffed across the board…we see mainly the same staff regularly, with some recent additions, as the number of residents here are increasing.”

Managers regularly reviewed staffing levels to make sure there were always enough staff to meet people’s needs.

Staff received regular and relevant training to help them meet the range of people’s needs. They were supported to continuously learn and improve in their roles through supervision and appraisal of their work performance.

There were safe recruitment practices at the service. The provider carried out the necessary checks required on staff that applied to work at the service, to make sure they were suitable to support people.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

People were supported to live in a clean, hygienic environment. One person told us, “It is immaculate. I would not have come here if it wasn’t, as I am very fussy.” A relative said, “Yes, it is clean. [Family member’s] room is cleaned and hoovered every day. The bathroom is cleaned every day as well. I like that.”

Staff were provided with relevant training to help them minimise the risk and spread of infection. They had access to resources and equipment to help them reduce infection risks and used this appropriately. A relative told us, “The staff use PPE (person protective equipment) when they come in and help [family member], aprons and gloves and so on. Hygiene is not a problem.” Staff maintained cleaning and food safety records to provide a clear audit trail of measures taken to reduce infection risks at the service.

The provider made sure that medicines were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences.

People were supported to take their medicines when they needed these. Medicines stock, balances and records confirmed people consistently received the medicines prescribed to them. One person told us, “They administer them regularly, both morning and evening.” A relative said, “[Family member] gets given their meds in the morning and evening, and there are no problems with that. [Family member] gets pain relief as well, as and when they need it.”

Medicines were managed safely at the service. Staff were provided with relevant training and supported to manage and administer medicines safely. A staff member told us, “There is a robust system. Everyone is trained who administers medication. Records are clear. We update any changes when they occur.”

Managers undertook regular competency checks on staff, and audits, to make sure medicines management and administration at the service was safe.