Archived: Ashfield Lodge

Updated 22 May 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was completed on 20 February 2019. The inspection team consisted of an inspector 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. This included experience of looking after an older person.

Service and service type:

Ashfield Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The care home can accommodate 20 people in one adapted building.

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:

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service. We also checked for feedback we received from members of the public, and local authorities. Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We reviewed other information that we held about the service such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the registered provider is required to tell us about.

We spent time observing the care provided to people. We spoke with the registered manager, a deputy manager, a care worker and a member of the domestic staff. We also spoke with six people living at the home and six relatives who visited during the inspection.

We looked at a range of documents and written records including three people’s care files and two staff recruitment records. We also looked at information relating to the administration of medicines and the auditing and monitoring of service provision.

Updated 22 May 2019

About the service: Ashfield Lodge is a residential care home that was providing personal and nursing care to 20 people living with dementia at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People living at the home and their relatives were happy with the standard of care they received. They felt that people’s needs were met and that staff skills supported them to provide kind and compassionate care. There were enough staff to support people’s care needs and to monitor people to ensure their safety.

People had been involved in planning their care and were confident to raise any issues they had with the registered manager. Care plans were well written and regularly reviewed. People were supported to be pain free at the end of their lives.

People’s ability to make decisions had been assessed and where needed applications for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards had been correctly submitted. People were offered choices in their everyday lives.

Risks to people had been identified and care was planned to keep people safe. Risks around eating safely and maintaining a healthy weight were identified and where necessary people were referred to healthcare professionals for advice. Medicines were safely managed. Staff had received training in infection control and knew how to work to minimise the risk of infection.

People were supported emotionally and physically with activities which included pamper sessions and walks along the river.

Systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service were effective. The registered manager took corrective action to resolve any concerns identified. Incidents and complaints were analysed and learning was shared with staff. People living at the home and their relatives were encouraged to raise issues around quality and safety at regular residents’ meetings.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated as Requires Improvement (report published 22 September 2017). At this inspection we found the provider and registered manager had made the necessary improvements.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about this service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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