Ascot House - Scunthorpe

Updated 2 March 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 the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 5 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 2 March 2021

About the service

Ascot House is a care home located in Scunthorpe, which provides accommodation over two floors. It was providing accommodation and personal care to 35 older people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 40 people. Ascot House is also registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. However, at the time of the inspection they were not providing this service.

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

People did not always receive safe care because infection control practices required improving, mainly in the laundry. Action was taken by the management team to address our concerns.

Staff understood what action they must take to protect people from harm and abuse. Staffing levels provided met people’s needs. Medicine management was robust.

Induction was provided to support new staff working at the service. Staff training, supervision and appraisal took place to develop and maintain the staff’s skills. Issues with staff performance were addressed.

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 was a choice of food and special diets were catered for. People who had difficulty swallowing or weight loss were monitored by staff and input was sought from health care professionals to promote people’s health and wellbeing.

Signage was present to help people living with dementia find their way round. We found in some areas of the service contrasting colours could have been used more effectively to help people distinguish the hand rails to aid their mobility. This was discussed with the management team.

People told us staff were attentive, kind and caring. A programme of activities was provided for people and their relatives to take part in, if they wished. End of life care was provided at the service. People’s care records were person centred and highlighted risks to their wellbeing and what people could do for themselves to maintain their independence. Staff were aware of this information. Guidance to maintain people’s oral health was in use.

Information was provided to people in a format that met their needs in line with the Accessible Information Standards. People were provided with information which told them how to make a complaint. Complaints received were investigated and this information was used to improve the service.

Staff understood the vision and values of the service. The provider had Brexit plans in place to prevent any disruption to the service.

Quality monitoring checks and audits were undertaken. The infection control audit was strengthened during the inspection to make sure the issues we found would not occur again. We were informed a new laundry was to be created in outbuildings following our inspection. Data security 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

The last rating for this service was good (published 19 April 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.