Aster House

Updated 1 July 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of CQC's response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 09 February 2021 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection.

Updated 1 July 2022

About the service

Aster House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to eight women with mental health needs.

People's experience of using this service

People told us that they felt safe living at the service. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the types of abuse and the actions they would take to report an allegation of abuse.

People had continuous assessments of their care needs and risks associated with their health and well-being. People and their relatives were involved in and contributed to their planned care and how they wished to be supported by staff. People said staff were kind and provided care in a considerate and compassionate way.

People were supported with taking their medicines as prescribed. Staff accurately completed medicine administration records following the administration of their medicines.

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.

All meals were made by staff onsite each day. People chose meals that met their nutritional needs and preferences.

The provider had a complaints process in place. People knew how to make a complaint about an aspect of their care if they were unhappy about the support they received.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 3 July 2018). Since this rating was awarded, the registered provider has altered its legal entity. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned scheduled inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.