Ashgrove House Nursing Home

Updated 16 December 2020

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 care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 24 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 16 December 2020

We undertook an unannounced inspection of Ashgrove House Nursing Home on 26 April 2018 and an announced visit on 27 April 2018

Ashgrove House Nursing Home 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 home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 35 persons who require personal care. On the day of our inspection 34 people were living at the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Outstanding in the Caring, Responsive and Well led domains and Outstanding overall. At this inspection we found the service had continued to meet the characteristics of outstanding in Caring, Responsive and Well-led domains, they had also improved in the Effective domain from good to outstanding. The overall rating continues to be Outstanding.

People were at the heart of Ashgrove House Nursing Home. We saw examples of staff wanting to make a positive difference to people’s quality of life. This reflected the values that staff held and the culture of the service ‘being more than a job’.

Without exception people said and gave examples of where staff had gone ‘the extra mile’ to make their lives special. They told us they felt well cared for and were offered emotional support when needed. Relatives were enthusiastic about the support they received. They said they felt encouraged to continue to play an important part in their relatives lives and told us the service provided a holistic approach to care, which included them even after their loved ones had left the service. People’s dignity was always respected and people were able to build meaningful, caring relationships with staff.

The service was led by a registered manager who promoted a service that put people at the forefront of all the service did. 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.

The registered manager was very passionate about working with people and their aim was to ensure the service met people’s physical and emotional needs. There was a culture of positive teamwork and empowering staff in line with the provider’s values. There was a very high level of confidence in the leadership and management of the service expressed by people, relatives and staff.

The registered manager was supported by an owner and organisation that was committed to providing high quality, innovative care. There continued to be a culture of putting people first which was evident all the way through the service from the provider to the care staff.

The owner and registered manager worked proactively with other organisations to develop training and support which provided enhanced support for the people living at Ashgrove House Nursing Home.

The team worked closely with other agencies and promoted an open and transparent culture that promoted a strong emphasis on continually striving to improve the service. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and appropriate action was taken promptly when required.

The atmosphere at Ashgrove House Nursing Home was one of caring, happiness and positivity. This enabled staff to embed a strong culture that valued people, relatives and staff and promoted a caring ethos.

People received exceptional care and support from staff who were skilled and knowledgeable and supported them on an individual basis. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the procedures in the service supported this practice. People were supported to access health professionals when needed and staff worked closely with people's GPs to ensure their health and well-being was monitored.

People remained safe living in the home. There were robust staffing levels to meet people's needs and staff had time to spend with people. Risk assessments were carried out and these promoted positive risk taking which enable people to live their lives as they chose. People received their medicines safely. There was a robust recruitment process, which involved people as part of the decision making process.

The provider and staff continued to recognise the importance of a range of activities to support people to maintain their interests and wellbeing through mental and physical stimulation.

Staff knew people very well and continued to be sensitive and responsive to people’s changing needs. Care plans continued to be comprehensive, detailed and well written. They continued to reflect people’s individuality and personal preferences.

The registered manager saw feedback and concerns as a learning opportunity and complaints were managed in line with the provider’s policy.