Ashton Meadows Nursing Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. This is the first assessment for this service since registration in July 2024. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred 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.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff were supported to deliver high quality care and support to people in line with the provider’s values. Managers made sure staff had access to policies, procedures and systems, designed in line with the provider’s values, to help them provide person-centred care to people. The registered manager told us, “We have our values displayed and these are mentioned at induction, and we bring them up in staff meetings and we discuss these.”

Managers used audits and checks, supervision and staff team meetings to make sure staff understood how the provider’s values should be achieved through their working practices.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Managers led effectively. People, staff and healthcare partners spoke highly of the management team at the service. Comments we received included, “It is very well run. For us the important thing is that everyone works as a team. I think [registered manager] is incredible. I would say that it is a beacon of excellence and is how you should be running a care home for older people.”; “[Registered manager] is very involved in care of residents…very hands on approach. The deputy manager also follows this approach. They motivate, are responsive and very easy to communicate with.” And “[Deputy manager] and [registered manager] are very approachable and responsive.”

Managers were experienced and undertook continuous learning and development to maintain their skills and knowledge. They had a good understanding of the needs of people using the service and how these should be met through the provision of safe, high quality person-centred care.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

People were provided with information about how they could report concerns and how these would be dealt with by the provider. The registered manager told us, “If anyone comes to me with anything, I reassure people that I will listen and support them through the process.”

Staff were encouraged and supported to speak up if they had any concerns. The registered manager told us, “I am very open. My door is always open…when staff first start, I always make sure I let them know that they can come to speak to me and raise concerns.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff were treated equally and fairly at work. A staff member told us, “I feel respected. I don’t feel there are any issues or concerns.” Another staff member said, “We have a diverse team here. Everyone brings their experiences. I think it works well and no issues.”

There were arrangements in place to support all staff to continuously learn and develop in the role. There were opportunities for career progression for staff that wanted this. The registered manager told us, “We have just done all the appraisals and in staff meetings we offered out training opportunities. We make sure staff know we want them to develop in their roles and in their skills.”

All staff were provided with relevant training to inform their knowledge and understanding of equality, inclusivity and fairness in the workplace.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Managers used governance systems to regularly check and audit the quality and safety of care and support provided to people. Outcomes from checks and audits were used to make any changes required and support staff to improve their working practices.

Managers understood and demonstrated compliance with regulatory requirements. They also understood their responsibility to provide honest information, suitable support and to apply duty of candour where appropriate.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The service worked well with healthcare partners to collaborate on the delivery of safe, high-quality care to people. They followed guidance and recommendations from partners, to support the delivery of people’s care and support. A healthcare partner told us, “I have always found them to be transparent and will ask appropriate questions to help provide great proactive care. I feel that I could suggest new ideas and that they would be considered and discussed further. I feel that they are open to ideas that would potentially help improve the lives of the residents they care for.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system.

Arrangements were in place to obtain feedback from people, their families and staff to help the service learn and improve. Managers used learning from feedback, along with outcomes from audits and checks and lessons learnt from safety events, to make improvements to the quality and safety of the care and support provided to people. For example, following feedback received from people and staff, changes had been made to introduce a calmer and more relaxed dining experience for people during mealtimes on the top floor of the home.

The registered manager was proactive, networking with local health and social care providers. They understood the benefit of working with other local providers to share and learn good practice, to support continuous improvement at the service.