Ashfield Court - Harrogate

Updated 25 February 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 25 February 2021

This inspection took place on 17 and 18 April 2018 and was unannounced on day one.

At our last inspection in March 2017 we rated the service as requires improvement because there were breaches of regulation 12 and regulation 17. The breaches were in relation to management of medicines, recording keeping and ineffective quality monitoring of the service.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions: Is the service safe? Is the service responsive? And is the service well-led? To at least good. At this inspection we found the provider had met the breaches of regulation.

Ashfield Court is a large detached house which has been extended and adapted for its current use. There are two main parts to the service; the original house area and a newer extension, known as "The wing." The service is situated near The Stray in Harrogate.

Ashfield Court is registered to provide nursing and residential care for up to 45 people, although we were informed that the maximum number the service would accommodate now would be 42, due to changes in room configuration. There is disabled access into and throughout the home. The accommodation is set on three floors and there is a passenger lift serving all floors. At the time of the inspection there were 34 people living at the home, all in single rooms.

People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

There was a registered manager in post who had been at the service for more than six years. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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 administered safely. We raised some minor concerns about medicines on day one of our inspection in regard to the use of topical medicines. The medicine management practices were reviewed by the registered manager immediately and action was taken to address our concerns. By day two when we rechecked the system we found no further concerns or issues.

People told us they felt safe and were well cared for. The provider followed robust recruitment checks, to employ suitable people. There were sufficient staff employed to assist people in a timely way.

Staff had completed relevant training. We found that the nurses and care staff received regular supervision and yearly appraisals, to help them fulfil their roles effectively.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People were able to talk to health care professionals about their care and treatment. People could see a GP when they needed to and they received care and treatment when necessary from external health care professionals such as the district nursing team.

People had access to adequate food and drinks and were assessed for nutritional risk. They were seen by the speech and language therapy (SALT) team or a dietician when appropriate. People who spoke with us were satisfied with the quality of the meals.

People were treated with respect and dignity by staff. People and relatives said staff were caring and they were happy with the care they received and had been included in planning and agreeing their care.

People had access to community facilities and the range of activities provided in the service ensured people could engage in stimulating and interesting social activities.

People and relatives knew how to make a complaint and were happy with the way any issues raised had been dealt with.

People told us that the service was well managed and organised. People and staff were asked for their views and their suggestions were used to continuously improve the service. We found the service to be well managed and organised.