1 March 2023
During a routine inspection
Asquith Hall is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 53 people. The service provides support to people living with dementia and with mental health needs. On the first day of the inspection there were 35 people using the service. On the second day of the inspection there were 33 people using the service. Asquith Hall is purpose-built with accommodation provided in two units. Willow is on the ground floor and Meadow is on the first floor.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Medicines were not managed safely which put people at risk of harm. Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were not always effectively assessed and monitored. Some care plans contained contradictory information and robust monitoring was not in place. Audits were in place, but they had failed to identify the shortfalls we found. The issues we identified had been raised at the last inspection.
We found the provider had made some improvements to the quality of the service which had led to improved experiences and outcomes for people.
There were enough staff to support people safely. Staff had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs. Recruitment was managed safely. People appeared relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff, and we observed warm and caring interactions. Relatives praised the standard of care.
The home was organised and well maintained and there was a team of ancillary and clinical staff to support the care team. There were close links with health professionals and other agencies to ensure people’s health needs were met.
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 practise.
There was a new registered manager in post. They provided leadership to the team and promoted an open team culture. Staff said the registered manager was accessible and supportive. They confirmed they had seen improvements in the quality of the service provided to people and the morale of the team.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update:
The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 24 August 2022) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations.
This service has been in Special Measures since 5 October 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated some improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
Why we inspected
The inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Asquith Hall on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to the safe administration of medicines, the management of risk and good governance.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
The provider took action immediately during and after the inspection. They submitted an action plan after the first day of the inspection and provided regular updates on other steps they had taken to mitigate the risks to people’s health, safety, and welfare.
The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.