Ashley Court

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their 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 service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

People appeared comfortable in the presence of staff.

People and relatives were complimentary about staff. One relative said, “Undoubtedly, staff are absolutely lovely to [person]. I see it consistently with other people. When I see in the lounge I can see they do that consistently with other people.”

Another relative told us they observed staff speaking with people, holding their hands and providing them with emotional support. They said, “[Staff] clearly do this job because they want to help [people].”

One person told us, “Staff are wonderful, they are very kind. They smile and are polite.” Another person said, “Staff are very good, very nice.”
People’s privacy and dignity was respected and upheld. We observed staff using screens to protect people’s privacy during moving and handling procedure in a communal area.

Health and social care professionals were complimentary about working with the service.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood and met. Staff confirmed they knew people’s individual needs and preferences.These were detailed in people’s care plans. People were supported to attend places of worship and keep dietary requirements if they chose to.

The service hosted cultural days where people and staff from various backgrounds could display their native clothing and share their culinary heritage.

A staff member said, “I respect people’s beliefs and preferences, such as dietary needs, prayer time, or cultural practices, and support them to stay connected with family and social activities.”

Relatives told us staff understood and responded to people’s individual needs well. People were assigned keyworkers which meant they had dedicated staff members who knew them well. A relative said, “[Staff] treat [person] with respect. [Person] has an allocated keyworker.”

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported to maintain relationships and networks that were important to them.

One staff member said, “We support residents to stay connected with their families and friends. Families are encouraged to visit, and we help residents communicate with them through phone or video calls if needed. Maintaining these relationships is important for residents’ wellbeing.” Another staff member told us, “I support people to maintain their independence by encouraging them to do as much as they can for themselves, while providing help only when needed. For example, I might encourage someone to wash or dress themselves, even if it takes longer, and guide them gently if they need assistance. I also support them to take part in daily activities and hobbies they enjoy, and I make sure the environment is safe for them to move around freely. This helps them feel confident, valued, and in control of their daily life.”

People were supported to take part in various activities and received 1 to 1 support to enjoy them when they were unable to join group sessions. The service employed 2 staff members to support people with activities which were well planned and appropriate to people living with dementia. The service also employed staff whose responsibility was to support care and activities staff. However, we observed people were not always engaged or supported to take part in activities.

At the time of the inspection one of the floors of the service was closed for visitors due to an active outbreak. The activities staff continued to support people at the service with their activities.

A relative confirmed their family member was supported to regain their confidence and was encouraged to socialise.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and understood their needs. A relative said, “They notice when things are not right. [Person] has got 2 carers who are primally carers and a nurse and they know [person] well and can detect when [person] is not well.”

Staff responded appropriately to people’s health concerns, such as pressure sores, and supported them to be pain free.

We observed staff responding to call bells in a timely manner. The registered manager regularly audited the time it took staff to respond to people pressing their call bells. This was done at various times of the day to ensure both day and night teams response times were checked and monitored.

The service discussed people’s needs through daily handovers and regular meetings. Records showed external healthcare professionals were contacted in response to people’s changing needs and when they became unwell.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The registered manager had an open-door policy.

The registered manager was committed to supporting staff throughout their personal and work development. The service introduced a system where staff were designated a champion role for a specific area within the service. For example, oral care, continence care, medication management, mental health, and environmental sustainability. This promoted better understanding of key areas in the service and supported staff’s individual development.

Staff took part in regular surveys, and the provider displayed a ‘you said, we did’ board at the service so staff could see the survey outcomes and the actions planned as a result.

Staff told us they felt supported in their roles and described the registered manager as approachable. One staff member said, “The provider and registered manager are supportive of staff wellbeing. They maintain open communication with staff and encourage us to speak up if we need support. The manager regularly checks on staff during shifts and is understanding if someone needs guidance or assistance. Supervisions and team meetings also give staff the opportunity to discuss any work-related or wellbeing concerns.” Another staff member told us, “I do feel supported in my role. Support is provided through supervision, guidance from senior staff, and opportunities to discuss concerns or receive feedback.”

Staff received awards recognising team members who have served the organisation for many years, celebrating their dedication and long-term commitment. The provider offered an employee assistance programme which staff could use to access counselling sessions, financial advice and more.