Ashgables House

Updated 23 June 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

This inspection was completed by 3 inspectors and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

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

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 05 May 2022 and ended on 20 May 2022. We visited the home on 05 May 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC. This included statutory notifications and other information received. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people about their experience of care received. We spoke with ten staff members including care staff, the registered manager and the head of compliance. During our inspection we reviewed a range of records and documents, this included four people’s care plans and risk assessments, multiple medication records, staff recruitment files, quality monitoring records and other records related the management of the service.

Following our inspection

We sought feedback from professionals who worked closely with the service. We continued to review and validate evidence found.

Updated 23 June 2022

About the service

Ashgables House is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 26 people. The service provides support to people living with complex mental health needs some of whom may also have a learning disability or autism. At the time of our inspection there were 18 people using the service.

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

Risks assessed for people were not always mitigated effectively, we made a recommendation about how risks were managed within the service.

People were cared for by staff who were recruited safely and had received appropriate training for their role. There were systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and medicines were managed and administered safely in the service.

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 told us they were supported by staff who knew them well and were kind. People were supported to be involved in their care and maintain their independence. Where people required support from staff, this was done respectfully.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives. There was evidence that people were supported to participate in their care planning and the daily running of the service. People’s rooms were clean and personalised with family photographs and personal effects.

Right care

Care was person-centred and considered people’s privacy, dignity and human rights. Staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and ensured people received care that met their diverse needs.

Right culture

The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services led confident, inclusive and empowered lives. There was an open and inclusive approach to the running of the service.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 01 March 2022). This service has been in Special Measures since January 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that 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

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 15 December 2021. Five breaches of legal requirements were found.

We undertook this focused inspection to check if the service had improved and now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe, caring, response and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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 Inadequate to Requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ashgables house 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.