Ashmill Residential Care Home

Updated 30 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 27 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 30 December 2020

About the Service

Ashmill Residential Care Home is a care home providing care to 17 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 19 people with a physical disability in one adapted building.

Peoples experience of using the service and what we found

Quality assurance systems were in place but needed further development to ensure they consistently identified and addressed shortfalls. Improvements were needed to the systems regarding medicines. Some areas of management of risk needed to be improved. Improvement was needed to make sure all staff were aware of recently approved Deprivation of Liberty authorisations.

People told us they felt safe from abuse and relatives felt their family members were safe. Staff had a good understanding of how to protect people from harm and recognised different types of abuse and knew how to report it.

Staff had been recruited appropriately and had received relevant training so that they were able to support people with their individual care and support needs. We received some mixed views from people and relatives regarding staffing arrangements. Staff followed infection control guidance and had access to personal protective equipment.

People's care needs had been assessed and reviews took place with the person and where appropriate their relative. Staff worked with external healthcare professionals and followed their guidance and advice about how to support people.

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

Staff treated people as individuals and respected the choices they made. Staff spoke to people in a respectful way.

People were supported to take part in activities of interest and their preferences, likes and dislikes were known to staff. The provider had a complaint process which people and relatives were aware of. People's end of life care wishes were recorded in line with their preferences in a respectful and dignified way.

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 requires improvement (published 29 January 2019). The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to Regulation 17 (Good Governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.