Ashcroft

Updated 4 April 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Ashcroft is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we held about the service. This includes the statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about incidents and events that occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two members of staff as well as the registered manager deputy manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and one medication record. We reviewed one staff file. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service including policies and procedures.

After the inspection –

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We spoke with three relatives by telephone and requested information from two health professional by email.

Updated 4 April 2020

About the service

Ashcroft is a residential care home providing personal care to up to three people with learning difficulties, autism and communication difficulties. The service specialises in providing a service to young adults who have moderate to severe autism and communication difficulties. At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the service.

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. 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 experience of using this service and what we found

People were not able to tell us about their experiences of life at the service, so we therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff and relatives to help form our judgements. However, feedback about the service from those close to them was remarkably consistent and positive.

The service continued to ensure people’s individual social needs were met so people could live as full a life as possible. The service was not risk adverse and was proactive in enabling people to have control over their lives and to receive care and support which was personal to them

The service has a track record of being an very positive role model for other services. There was a knowledgeable management team who led by example and who were committed to continually monitoring and developing the service. The provider, management team and staff were passionate about the service. The service had supported people to successfully transfer from children services and develop their independent living skills. People were at the heart of the service which was forward thinking and worked creatively with outside organisations to promote the well-being of people with learning disabilities, autism and communication issues.

The service was dedicated to ensuring continuous quality improvement to make a real difference for people. Person-centred care enriched people's lives. It helped them to achieve their potential and overcome barriers related to their disabilities, which led to positive outcomes.

People were supported to achieve positive outcomes through the strength of their relationships with staff. There was a distinctive focus on creating a service that welcomed and embraced people's diversity and promoted equality. The management and culture of the service demonstrated a caring approach and staff were also valued and cared about. People were treated with the utmost respect and their dignity was continually upheld. This was confirmed by people and their relatives who provided very good feedback.

People were safe and risks to people were identified, assessed and managed safely with an enabling and empowering focus so no one was restricted. Staff supported people to take positive risks and were flexible in their approach. There were enough staff to meet people's needs safely and recruitment processes were robust. People used a variety of assistive communication aids to express themselves which enabled staff to support people effectively to meet their needs.

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

The last rating for this service outstanding (published 2 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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