Ashwood Court - Unit 1

The purpose-built home is situated in Lowton, Greater Manchester and benefits from all ground floor accommodation. The home is registered to provide care and support to 17 adults living with a mental health diagnosis. There were 16 people living at the home at the time of the inspection because one person was in hospital. People varied in age from 35 to 110.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

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During the last inspection, although the home was rated as good overall, it was rated as requires improvement in the key line of enquiry (KLOE) effective because we made a recommendation. This was in relation to the application of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

At this inspection we found the provider had addressed our recommendation. Staff had received training in MCA and DoLS and when people were identified as not having capacity to consent to their care and treatment, applications to request a DoLS had been made to the local authority.

The home had a registered manager. 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.

Everybody spoken with told us they felt safe living at the home. Appropriate recruitment checks had been completed prior to new staff working at the home and the safeguarding processes were organised and transparent.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Rota’s were flexible and staffing numbers increased when required to facilitate appointments and day trips.

People had comprehensive risk assessments and ‘my plans’ completed by staff which contained control measures to reduce risk. These were easy to navigate and contained all the required information to meet people’s needs safely.

We found medicines had been managed safely. There were effective systems in place to ensure medicines were ordered, stored, received and administered appropriately.

New staff received an induction which was aligned with the care certificate and all staff completed regular online training through e-learning for you (elfy). Staff had quarterly supervision and an annual appraisal of their work.

Staff demonstrated they were knowledgeable regarding the Mental Capacity Act (MCA 2005) and DoLS. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us staff were caring and friendly and respected their privacy and dignity. They confirmed being given choices about their care and personal preferences were considered.

The home was meeting the accessible information standard. People had a communication plan at the start of their care file and there was an accessible information resource file in the foyer of the home to support staff.

People accessed the community independently and there were afternoon activities and organised trips people participated in.

The complaints process and outcomes of surveys was clear and transparent. People and visitors were updated on the compliments, survey responses and complaints received.

Audits were completed which were aligned with CQC’s KLOE’s and identified whether the standards were met and actions taken if not.

The service was last inspected on 04 September 2013 when we found the service was complaint with all the regulations assessed at that time.

Ashwood Court is a residential care home situated in Lowton, Greater Manchester. The home is owned and managed by Making Space. The home is in close proximity to local amenities and on a bus route. The home is on one level and provides care and support for up to 17 adults who are living with a mental health diagnosis. There were 17 people living at the home at the time of the inspection, varying in age from 32 to 107.

There was a registered manager in post. 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, relatives and visiting healthcare professionals spoke positively about the staff and care provided. It was observed during the inspection that staff understood people’s needs, maintained people’s confidentiality and liaised with external agencies timely and appropriately.

Staff went through a robust recruitment process before working at the home. During the inspection we observed sufficient staff were deployed to meet people’s needs.

People had comprehensive risk assessments which were reviewed regularly and changed timely to meet people’s needs. People and their relatives were involved in the assessments and planning of their health and social care. Regular reviews were undertaken and people’s views were listened too and acted on.

Staff received safeguarding training and were able to tell us how they would identify and report safeguarding concerns. Medicines were stored and administered safely.

Staff were supported through induction, supervision and training to promote better outcomes for people.

We received a mixed response from staff regarding their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). We saw staff had received training but upon reporting our findings at the end of the inspection, staff were scheduled to attend further training. We have made a recommendation about the application of the acid test in making decisions regarding DoLS.

We saw staff assessed peoples’ nutritional needs and people had been consulted through resident meetings regarding the menus. People were offered choice at mealtimes and were also able to make their own snacks throughout the day.

People were supported by staff that were compassionate and treated them with dignity and respect.

The home was warm and welcoming. It was clean, free from offensive odours and was decorated and maintained. People had personalised their bedroom with pictures and ornaments. We saw people visiting throughout our inspection. Visitors told us they were always welcomed and said that communication with the service was good.

There was a positive atmosphere throughout the home and people spoke positively about the support provided. Staff were described as ‘understanding people’s needs and going the extra mile’.

Feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff through meetings, surveys and suggestions We saw the home had received compliments from relatives and healthcare professionals since our last inspection. People told us they knew how to make a complaint and felt comfortable to do this should they need to.

Relatives and people living at the home told us they thought the home was well-led and that the management was approachable. We received positive feedback about the service from three social care professionals

A range of audits were undertaken to help monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. We saw actions were implemented timely following any deficits identified. Management understood their legal requirements and notifications had been submitted to CQC.

Comments included "staff are kind and helpful people", "the staff here are my friends" and "staff do their very best to make our lives good." A relative of a person who lived in the home told us that staff were "kind supportive people who really did care about the people they supported."

We observed staff interacting with people living in the home and their relatives. This showed that people were at ease with each other and were able to use gentle humour within their conversations with positive effect.

People told us the food was good and the menu held many choices to suit individual preference.

Staff were seen to be working as a team and interacting well during the inspection. Comments from staff included "I love working here as we work well as a team" and "I feel supported in my role and get good training in anything I feel I need."

Ashwood Court holds regular meetings with people who live in the home and their relatives to make sure they can have their say about the running of the home.