The Ashton Care Home

Updated 4 May 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

This inspection was carried out by an inspector, a nurse specialist and an Expert by Experience. 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

The Ashtons Care Home 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. The Ashtons Care Home is a care home with 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.

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 professionals who work with the service. 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 observed the care people received in communal areas of the home. We spoke with 4 people who used the service, 3 relatives and 6 members of staff including the regional director, office manager, care staff, senior care staff and nurse.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 4 May 2023

About the service

The Ashton Care Home is a residential care and nursing home providing accommodation to people who require personal and/or nursing care to up to 77 people. The service provides support to older people some of who lived with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people using the service.

The Ashton Care Home accommodates up to 77 people in one purpose built building. The home accommodates up to 77 people across 3 separate floors, each of which had adapted facilities. The top floor of the building was being used and managed by the University Hospitals of Leicester.

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

Improvements were required in certain areas of the home to comply with required standards of hygiene and promote infection prevention and control. There were minor areas of improvement required in the management of ‘as required’ medicines.

People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not always support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice.

The provider had effective systems in place for monitoring and improving the quality of care and support people received. Managers were accessible and supportive to staff, people and their relatives. There were robust systems in place for engaging people who used the service, staff and other stakeholders in service planning and delivery.

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 14 April 2022).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns we received in relation to the management of medicines and management of people’s behaviour support needs. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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 remains good based on the findings of this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe section of this full report.

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

Recommendations

We have made recommendations about the management of covert medicines and the management and compliance of DoLS authorisations.

Follow up

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