Ashlands Manor Care Centre

Updated 8 February 2024

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors; a medicines 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

Ashlands Manor Care Centre is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Ashlands Manor Care Centre is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 17 January 2024 and ended on 19 January 2024. We visited the service on 17 January 2024.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We reviewed feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During inspection we spoke with 5 people living at the home and 3 relatives about their experience of care provided by Ashlands Manor Care Centre. We spoke with 8 members of staff including the chief operating officer, registered manager, clinical lead deputy manager, members of the care staff. We informally observed people's interactions and the care they received. This helped us understand the experiences of people with limited communication.

We observed medication administration and checked medication storage and recording systems. We reviewed a range of records including 4 people's care records and recruitment files for 3 staff.

We looked at records relating to health and safety such as fire safety information, testing records and servicing documents. We checked the environment, equipment, facilities and cleanliness; to determine whether the home was safe and fit for purpose.

Updated 8 February 2024

About the service

Ashlands Manor Care Centre is a care home that provides personal and nursing care for up to 57 people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 53 people living in the home.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

The service is purpose-built home and set over 3 floors. All rooms are en-suite and each floor had its own separate facilities. The ground floor supports people requiring support with personal care, the first floor supports people living with dementia and the second floor supports people who need nursing care.

People’s experience of the service and what we found

People were kept safe. Staff knew how to raise safeguarding concerns and were aware of the processes to follow in order to keep people safe. Risks of harm were identified and mitigated as much as possible. Overall, medicines were managed well but some areas for improvement were identified during our inspection.

There were enough staff working at the service to meet people's needs and there were adequate staff recruitment practices in place. There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection.

Staff had received appropriate training and supervision and nurses maintained their clinical skills. Staff were encouraged to take additional qualifications to enhance their roles. People were complimentary about the food and were provided with a balanced diet.

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.

People were supported by kind, caring staff who respected their privacy and dignity and helped them be as independent as they could. People were helped and encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends and to engage in meaningful activities.

Governance systems were in place to ensure all aspects of the service were reviewed and checked regularly. There had been several different registered managers since our last inspection, however a new manager had been appointed and people, their relatives and staff provided positive feedback on the new manager.

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 08 February 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about further collaboration with local system partners.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Ashlands Manor Care Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.