Ashcroft

Ashcroft can accommodate up to 66 people. The home has three floors, the first floor is a unit specialising in the care of people living with dementia.

At our last inspection, we rated the service good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support this rating and in addition, we found the service had improved to outstanding in some areas.

A new registered manager had been appointed since our last inspection. 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 service was exceptionally caring. Everyone we spoke with was very complimentary about the service and said they would recommend the home. There was a strongly embedded culture within the service of treating people with dignity and respect. This was supported by a number of dignity champions.

Consultation with people was an integral part of the way the service operated. We saw many examples of ways in which people's feedback had been used to shape the service. We found the provider had adapted the first floor to create an engaging and enabling environment for people living with dementia.

People were protected from harm. Staff knew how to recognise and report concerns about people's safety and welfare. Any concerns, which were raised, were dealt with properly. Risks to people's health and safety were identified and managed. When things went wrong lessons were learned and action taken to reduce the risk of this happening again. The recruitment of new staff was done safely, which helped to make sure, only staff suitable to work with vulnerable adults were employed.

People's medicines were managed safely. The service worked with a range of health and social care professionals to make sure people's health care needs were met.

The home was clean and well maintained.

There were enough staff and they were well trained and supported to meet people's needs.

People were supported to eat and drink and offered a choice of food, which reflected their dietary, religious and cultural preferences.

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's needs were assessed and care plans were in place, which included information about their support needs and preferences. People and their relatives were involved in planning and reviewing the way their care was delivered.

People were offered the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities both in the home and in the community. In response to feedback from people, the service was working to create a community setting within the home. To this end, they had created an old-fashioned sweet shop, a pub, a cinema room, a traditional lady's hairdressing salon and a barber shop.

The home benefitted from strong leadership. The registered manager was passionate about providing person centred. The provider had robust and effective systems in place to monitor, assess and improve the quality and safety of the services provided. The management team was continuously looking at ways to improve the service for the benefit of the people who lived there.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found