Ashington House

Updated 13 January 2021

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 coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 22 December 2020 and was announced.

Updated 13 January 2021

About the service:

Ashington House is a residential care home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to six people some of whom have learning and physical disabilities and autism. At the time of this inspection five people were receiving support from this service.

People's experience of using this service:

Staff were aware of people’s communication needs and knew what people were saying when they used their body language. However, people’s communication aids required updating which the registered manager agreed to implement immediately.

Risks to people's health and safety were sufficiently identified and assessed which guided staff on how to mitigate the potential risks to people. Staffs’ employment history was appropriately checked before they were employed by the service. People had support to manage their medicines safely. Staff were aware of the actions they had to take should they notice people being at risk of harm or when incidents and accidents took place.

Staff were provided with opportunities to update their knowledge and skills in all areas required for their role, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) which they applied in practice as necessary.

People’s health needs were assessed and they had the necessary support to attend their health appointments when needed. Staff assisted people with their meal preparations and ensured that people had their meals not rushed.

Personal information about people was kept safely. Staff were kind to people and respectful of their privacy. Strategies were in place to support people in the decision-making process.

People’s care records were person-centred and individualised. People were encouraged to raise concerns when they had any so that the staff team could address them accordingly. Staff supported people to have conversations about their wishes at the end of their lives.

Everyone involved in people’s care told us that the registered manager was caring and led by example. Quality assurance processes were in place to monitor the service delivery. There were shared responsibilities between the staff team to ensure good care for people.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection on 9 December 2016, the service was given a rating of Good in all key questions.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspection will be planned in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect the service sooner.

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