Ashley Court

Updated 26 April 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 included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements. 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 was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Ashley 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. Ashley court is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before 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 the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who lived at the home and we also telephoned two relatives to gather their views of the care provided. We also spoke with the deputy manager and two care workers.

We looked at three people’s care plans and records relating to the administration of medicines. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service including personal records to ensure people had been recruited safely.

After the inspection

We reviewed the information the registered manager had sent to us.

Updated 26 April 2022

About the service

Ashley Court is a residential care home providing personal care for to up to 15 people. The service provides support to adults with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people using the service. The care home is in a purpose-built facility within a housing association property. The service is also registered to provide personal care to people in their own home, however no one was receiving this service when we inspected.

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

People had good relationships with the staff and felt supported to live their lives how they chose.

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.

People knew what was recorded in their care plans and were happy they were accurate. Care plans contained all the information needed to ensure staff could provide safe care and risks to people were identified, and care was planned to keep people safe.

People were supported to access healthcare advice and support when they were unwell and to attend any appointments.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs safely and in a timely manner. The provider had completed pre-employment checks on staff to ensure they were honest and trustworthy. Training was provided to ensure staff had the skills needed to provide safe effective care to people.

Medicines were available to people when needed and stored safely.

Infection control processes were in place and the home was cleaned effectively to reduce the risk of infection. Some areas of the home were in need of modernisation and the maintenance and improvement plan took account of this.

Audits were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the care provided. In addition, the views of people living at the home and their relatives were used to drive improvements in the care provided.

People were happy to raise concerns and were confident that the provider would take action to resolve any issues.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 1 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 12 March 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. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Follow up

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