Ashdale - Sunderland

Updated 5 June 2020

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.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one 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.

Service and service type

Ashdale - Sunderland 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

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We reviewed the information we held about the service such as when the provider told us about serious injuries or events.

We sought feedback from the local authority contracts monitoring and safeguarding adults' teams. We received feedback from the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who commission services from the provider, and asked the local Healthwatch for their feedback. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed documentation, inspected the safety of the premises and carried out observations in communal areas. We looked at a range of records. This included staffing rotas, training records, meeting minutes, policies and procedures, environmental safety and information relating to the governance of the service.

We spoke with one person who used the service and four members of staff including the registered manager. We reviewed the care records for two people and medicine records for two people.

After the inspection

We contacted three people who were living at the service and four relatives via the telephone.

Updated 5 June 2020

About the service

Ashdale - Sunderland is a residential care home providing personal care to four people aged 18 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to four people in one large adapted house.

Services for people with learning disabilities and or autism are supported

The service had been designed and was following the principles and values underpinning Registering the Right Support. The premises were large and homely. People had access to their own space to live as independently as they wished and had the choice to access communal parts of the service to socialise with other people living at the service.

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

People living at Ashdale - Sunderland were very happy with the care and support they received from staff. People had unique bonds with staff and one person commented, “I really love all of the staff they have been with me a long time and I feel they are always there if I need anything or someone to talk to. They are helpful, kind and caring.”

Relatives were positive about the service and were actively involved by staff to help plan support for their family members. Care plans were bespoke and reflected the specific outcomes people wanted to achieve and their choices. Relatives described the positive influence staff at the service had on people. A relative commented, “The best thing about the service is knowing my family member is happy and safe. It is the nearest they will ever get to friends and the staff are like family. It helps them to keep their independence as much as possible at the same time being supported. Literally you could not find a better kinder caring place.”

Risks people may face were fully identified and mitigated. The premises were safe, and the service had a homely environment. Medicines were safely managed, and the service worked in partnership with other health care professionals to make sure people received a continuous level of support. There was enough staff to safely support people.

There was an established staff team who completed regular training and attended team meetings. Staff were supported with regular supervisions. Staff had a positive relationship with the registered manager and felt able to provide feedback regularly. The quality and assurance systems in place allowed for effective monitoring of the service by the registered manager.

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 7 October 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.