Ashville Court

Updated 20 April 2023

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

Two inspectors and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. 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

Ashville 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. Ashville Court is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 15 March 2023 and ended on 22 March 2023. We visited the location’s service on 15 March 2023. On 17 March 2023 we reviewed information remotely and spoke to staff on the phone.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

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 spent time with people in the communal areas observing the care and support provided by staff. We spoke with 3 people who used the service and 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 4 staff including the registered manager, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records and 5 people's medicine records. We looked at 2 staff recruitment files. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed

Updated 20 April 2023

About the service

Ashville Court is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 29 people. The service provides support to older people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people using the service.

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

Improvements had been made since the last inspection which included completion of the refurbishment programme. One relative said, “The decoration is stunning in some of the lounge areas and visiting rooms and it’s a comfortable place.”

People received person centred care. People and their relatives were involved in planning and making decisions about their care. Staff understood how to manage any risks to people and knew the processes to manage any allegations of abuse. Care records provided detailed information about people’s needs and preferences. People received their medicines when they needed them. The home was clean and well maintained. Safe infection control procedures were followed.

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.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and staff worked well together as a team. Recruitment processes ensured staff were suitable to work in the care service. Staff were trained and said they felt well supported in their roles. They had the required skills to meet people’s needs.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate and treated people with respect. One relative said, “They [the staff] go out of their way to make people happy.” Relatives and friends were happy with the visiting arrangements.

The service was well run. The provider and registered manager worked together to ensure improvements were made and sustained. The registered manager promoted good practice and worked alongside the staff supporting them and making sure the quality of care was maintained.

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 requires improvement (published 19 August 2019) and there was one breach 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 improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ashville Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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