Archived: Ashfield Residential Care Home

Updated 12 February 2021

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.

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 two inspectors and an Expert by Experience who supported the inspection team by making phone calls to family members to request feedback. 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

Ashfield Residential Care Home 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

This inspection was announced. We gave a short period notice of the inspection as we were mindful of the impact and added pressures of Covid-19 pandemic on the service. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances and requirements arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, including notifications submitted. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, senior care workers, care workers and the chef. We spent time observing the experience of people in the home and the way staff interacted with them.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and seven medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We received feedback from 14 relatives by phone. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 12 February 2021

About the service

Ashfield Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 20 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. On the day of the inspection, 20 people were living at Ashfield.

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

People were safe living at Ashfield. Safeguarding processes were in place to help safeguard people from abuse. Risks associated with people's care had been assessed and guidance was in place for staff to follow. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. The service was clean and well maintained.

There were enough numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. Appropriate recruitment procedures ensured prospective staff were suitable to work in the home. Medicines were managed safely. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

Staff received appropriate induction, training and support and applied learning effectively in line with best practice. This led to good outcomes for people and supported a good quality of life.

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.

Staff were caring and kind and relatives confirmed this. We observed staff responding to people's needs with kindness and respect.

People living at Ashfield had a care plan which detailed their needs and preferences. People’s care needs were assessed prior to admission and regularly thereafter.

Staff supported people to meet their health and nutritional needs. Staff worked with health care professionals to maintain people's wellbeing.

There were quality monitoring systems and processes in place to identify how the service was performing and where improvements were required. We have made a recommendation around effective communication with relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 27 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We had also received information of concern prior to the inspection around night care. We did not find any evidence on this inspection to substantiate the allegations. Prior to the inspection, we raised the concerns with the provider and registered manager who provided assurances of their oversight of care at night.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We reviewed the key questions of safe, effective, responsive and well-led in this inspection. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service has remained the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm.

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

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.