Ashgrange House

Staff were wearing personal protective equipment correctly and infection control procedures were being followed. Relatives had been informed of the visiting procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were correct visiting procedures in place should relatives wish to visit.

Relatives told us communication with the home over the last year had been poor. Improvements were being made by the manager, but more consistency was needed to keep relatives up to date with information. Quality assurance systems had been recently implemented and action plans were being worked on by staff, however more time was needed to embed this into practice to ensure that areas to address were consistently identified.

Risks to people were assessed and managed by staff. Staff understood how to support each person individually and understood the risks associated with each person. Staff were recruited safely and received appropriate training. The home was clean and tidy and cleaning schedules had recently been implemented and completed by staff.

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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support: • People living at the home had been supported to personalise their bedrooms and communal areas with items from home. People were supported to move freely around the home and choices about how to spend their day were respected by staff. The home did not have anything that identified it as a care home and had many homely touches such as ornaments and photographs of people around the home.

Right care: • We saw that people were treated as individuals and that staff knew people well. External activities had recently been re-instated at the home and were based on people's individual choices and interests. One person told us they were, "very happy," and told us "They (staff) do very good". We saw that staff spoke to people kindly and with affection.

Right culture: • Poor practice had recently been identified and addressed by the provider. Changes brought in by management and staff had improved the experience of living at the home for people. Staff and relatives both spoke of the improvements that had been made recently. Staff focused on the needs and wishes of people living at the home. We observed that people and their choices were at the centre of the care they received from staff.