• Care Home
  • Care home

Ashwood Court

Suffolk Street, Sunderland, SR2 8JR (0191) 565 9256

Provided and run by:
Wearside Invest Ltd

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

Inspection summaries and ratings from previous provider

On this page

Background to this inspection

Updated 20 August 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert

by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Ashwood Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 27 June 2022 and ended on 03 August 2022. We visited the location on 28 June

2022.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We also reviewed the information we held about the service. This included any statutory notifications received. Statutory notifications are specific pieces of information about events, which the provider is required to send to us by law.

We sought feedback from the local authority contracts monitoring and safeguarding adults' teams and reviewed the information they provided. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to the registered manager, seven care staff, one domestic member of staff and one maintenance worker. The Expert by Experience spoke to five relatives. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's complete care records and the medication records for four people .

We carried out a visual inspection of the home and observed interactions between people who lived at the home and staff.

We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision as well as staff feedback forms. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 20 August 2022

About the service

Ashwood Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 30 people. The service provides support to people who may be living with a dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives were very positive about the care provided. People told us they felt safe and staff had the skills to support them. Relatives provided positive examples of how staff had helped improve people’s lives since moving to the home.

Staff were safely recruited and received an induction followed by on-going training from the provider. Training was monitored and staff were supported with regular meetings and supervisions. Staffing levels were appropriate and met people’s needs.

People and relatives were involved in every stage of care planning. People had personalised care plans and staff were delivering person-centered care.

The registered manager had an effective quality assurance system which included regular audits and checks. These were used to identify any areas for improvement.

Staff ensured people living at the home were happy. Staff found ways to promote people’s independence, their passions and personal interests. People, relatives, staff and professionals were offered opportunities to provide feedback about the care provided at the home.

The service was following infection prevention and control procedures to keep people safe

Medicines were managed safely. Risks to people were assessed and action was taken to reduce the chances of them occurring. The registered manager acted on feedback immediately. People were safeguarded from abuse.

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.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 10 April 2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.