Archived: Aston House

At our last inspection in January 2016 we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. A Registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated regulations about how the service is run.

People were supported to manage any risks to their safety and wellbeing.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People were complimentary about the care and support that they received. Staff were described as kind and caring and treated people with dignity and respect. People received care that was centred on them as individuals and their independence and freedom of choice were promoted and supported.

People had the support they needed to take their medicines safely. People received their medicines as prescribed. People were supported to keep healthy and had access to other health professionals as and when required.

People were offered choices of meals and felt the food they were served was of a very good quality.

People care was planned in ways which reflected their preferences and wishes. Relatives' and health and social care professionals' views and suggestions were considered when people's care was planned.

People, relatives and staff were confident if any complaints were made these would be addressed. Systems were in place to manage complaints. Although none had been received in the last twelve months.

People were encouraged to stay active. The provider had a comprehensive activities and entertainment programme for people to join in and enjoy.

People, their relatives and staff were encouraged to make suggestions to develop the care they received further through open communication with the senior management team. The registered manager and provider regularly checked the quality of the care people received.

The relationships between people who lived at the home and the staff were relaxed and respectful. The people who lived at Aston House viewed it as their home and treated it as such. This was apparent in the way people responded to us as visitors, including making us hot drinks and telling us, "Make yourselves at home".

The management of medicines was safely organised. People who were able to look after their own medicines or wanted to do so in the future were supported to do this safely. This was done gradually so people had the right amount of help and support at each stage.

Staff received a range of mandatory and care related training. This meant that they were well equipped to carry out their roles safely. The staff we met on the day of our visit were confident and professional. They showed that they knew the people who lived at the home well and understood the support they needed.

The provider had systems in place to manage the home effectively and to monitor the quality of the service provided.

People were positive about the care and support they received. There was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. One person told us, 'For the first time in my life I feel I am safe, loved and respected. I have my own room, my own key and can make my own choices here'.

People lived varied lives and chose how to spend their time. People were encouraged to be part of the community and to get out and about using public transport. The records showed that the staff supported people to look after their health and that people were fully involved in making choices and decisions about all aspects of their lives.

The service had information available about the action to take if a person was at risk of harm from abuse or neglect. Staff were trained so they would understand procedures to follow if they needed to report any concerns. People told us they could tell the staff if something was wrong.

There were suitable recruitment procedures in place. This reduced the risk of unsuitable people being employed to work at the home.

There was information for people about how to make a complaint. People told us that they could tell the manager or staff if they were concerned or unhappy about anything.

We also spoke with a mental health professional who was positive about the support people received there.