Ashlong Cottage

Updated 9 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 1 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 9 February 2022

About the service

Ashlong Cottage is a residential care home providing personal care to six people with learning disabilities at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to six people in one adapted building.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people. The service used some restrictive intervention practices as a last resort, in a person-centred way, in line with positive behaviour support principles.

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

The provider's safety checks did not always ensure people were safe, because they had failed to keep harmful and controlled substances stored securely. However, the risk was reduced because the people using the service would not have been able to access these substances independently and the registered manager made sure the materials were locked away as soon as we raised this.

Otherwise, the service was safe. There was a clear process for staff to recognise and report signs of abuse. The provider assessed and managed risks to individual people well and used learning from incidents to improve risk management. They made sure there were enough suitable staff to meet people’s needs. People received their medicines as prescribed. Staff knew how to reduce the risk of infection spreading and kept the home clean and hygienic.

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. The home environment was suitably adapted to meet people’s needs. The provider used evidence-based guidance to assess people’s needs and plan their care. Staff worked well with other agencies to make sure people received healthcare and other specialist support they needed, including meeting their diverse nutritional needs. People received support from staff who had the skills and knowledge they needed to provide effective care.

People received care and support from staff who knew them well, were caring and empathetic, and were able to recognise and meet their emotional support needs. Staff understood how to support people to make choices, including the use of communication aids and recognising how people communicated their choices. Staff respected people’s dignity and independence, although they sometimes compromised privacy by talking about people’s confidential matters in front of other people who used the service. The registered manager told us they would make sure this did not happen any more.

People benefited from well-planned care that met their needs, because the provider made sure staff had the information they needed about people’s preferences, support needs and what was important to them. The care people received as they approached the end of their lives was designed to support their comfort and dignity. People had a person-centred programme of activities both at home and in the community. People received information in appropriate formats that they could understand and staff knew how to communicate with people effectively. The provider dealt with complaints and concerns appropriately.

The standard of record keeping at the service was good and this meant clear, complete and accurate information about people’s care was available to those who needed it. However, records were not always kept securely which meant there was a risk of people’s confidential information going astray. The registered manager addressed this as soon as we raised it. The provider promoted a person-centred culture that valued people and celebrated their achievements. The registered manager was open and approachable, and sought feedback regularly from people, staff, relatives and other agencies so everyone could have their say about how the service was run.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 this service was good (published 18 March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.