Ashwood House Limited (Leyton)

Ashwood House is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide accommodation and support with personal care to a maximum of 17 adults with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection, there were 14 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

We saw people were protected from the risks of abuse and neglect, as staff were trained to identify signs and were clear of their roles and responsibilities to protect people from harm. The provider ensured staffing levels were appropriate to meet people's support needs and there were systems to recruit staff safely.

People’s risk assessments were completed, which guided staff on how to keep them safe from avoidable harm. The service had systems to record and monitor accidents and incidents. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection and the home was clean and tidy.

People’s needs assessments were completed prior to people moving to Ashwood House. People received support from staff who had the knowledge and skills to meet their individual support needs. Staff were supported to complete an induction programme when they first started at the service. Staff received regular training, and supervision. 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.

People told us they were treated with kindness and respect and that staff encouraged them to be as independent as possible and learn new skills. People felt they were supported to express their choice in areas such as how they wanted to be supported. Care documents were written to reflect people's individual needs and were regularly reviewed. The provider had a policy and procedure for addressing concerns or complaints.

We found the home to be clean and tidy, and well maintained to meet people physical needs. The provider ensured that there were systems in place for learning from accidents and incidents took place to prevent recurrence.

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 inspection for this service was rated good (published 25 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

Follow up

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

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe using the service and there were systems in place to help safeguard people from abuse. Risk assessments were in place which included information about how to support people in a safe way and mitigate the risks they faced. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and robust staff recruitment processes were in place. Medicines were managed in a safe manner.

Staff received on-going training and supervision to support them in their role. People were able to make choices for themselves and the service operated within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People told us they enjoyed the food and were able to choose what they ate. People were supported to access relevant health care professionals.

People told us they were treated with respect and that staff were caring. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, independence and dignity.

Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs. Care plans were subject to regular review. People were supported to engage in various activities. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

Staff and people spoke positively about the senior staff at the service. Quality assurance and monitoring systems were in place which included seeking the views of people who used service.

The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide accommodation and support with personal care to a maximum of 17 adults with mental health needs. 15 people were using the service at the time of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager. However, at the time of inspection they were on a period of extended leave. An acting manager had been appointed to manage the service during this period. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Medicines were not always recorded in a safe and accurate manner.

We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

The service had appropriate safeguarding adults procedures in place. There were enough staff working at the service to support people in a safe manner and checks were carried out on staff before they began working at the service. Risk assessments were in place which included information about how to mitigate risks people faced.

Staff were well supported and received regular training and supervision. The service was operating within the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and people were able to make choices about their daily lives. This included choices about what they ate and drank. People had routine access to health care professionals.

People told us they were treated with respect and in a caring manner by staff. The service promoted people’s independence and privacy.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved into the service. Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs. People were supported to access a variety of activities both in-house and in the community. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

Staff told us they found the senior staff to be approachable and helpful. The service had various quality assurance and monitoring systems in place. Some of these included seeking the views of people that used the service.

People who use the service were positive about the care and treatment they received at the home. They confirmed that staff assisted them when they needed support with their care and that staff were very helpful. People also told us they had good access to health care professionals such as doctors, district nurses, dentists and chiropodists.

We spoke to people about safety. They told us that they felt safe and that if anything ever happened they would be happy to speak to the manager.

Staff we spoke with told us that they underwent a robust application process. We saw in staff files that appropriate checks were completed and that all staff had a comprehensive induction.

We found that all areas of risk had been appropriately assessed and that the provider carried out regular checks and reviews. Policies and procedures were comprehensive and appropriate to ensure the delivery of a safe, effective service.

More information about the provider

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People who use this service told us that they felt safe at this home. Staff had a good knowledge of all areas of safeguarding. We observed that the provider had up to date policies and procedures that were reviewed regularly.