Ashdowne Care Centre

At our last inspection published December 2022, the service was rated Requires Improvement. At this assessment, the service has improved and is rated Good.

Our decision to inspect the service was due to concerns from some relatives’ dissatisfaction with the service’s complaints system when they had raised concerns about care. We found improvements were needed to make the complaints system more effective.

People were protected and kept safe. The provider established and maintained safe systems of care. They understood and managed risks and had a proactive and positive culture of safety. Staff managed medicines and the risk of infection well. A dependency tool was used to ensure staff numbers met people’s needs. However, there had been times during the last year when some staff and relatives felt staffing arrangements meant staff were more task based in their approach and had less time to spend with people in a meaningful way.

Risks were assessed and monitored, and the home was safe and clean, although there were areas which had a stale smell. Senior staff conducted regular audits and checks. These helped to improve the service. Staff were positive about the training available to them. Recruitment processes ensured all necessary checks were completed, including checking the nurses’ registration was current.

People’s care and treatment was effective. Relatives felt involved in their family member’s care. For example, they said, “They do talk to me and keep me updated. They are very good with the communication.”

People’s needs were assessed and reviewed. Care and treatment were planned and delivered in a caring manner. The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. However, improvements were needed to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) process to ensure applications were made in a timely manner.

Staff treated people with kindness, acknowledging and responding to people's individuality. Most people who lived on the Ashdowne side of the home chose to spend time in their rooms despite communal areas being available. However, many people living with dementia who lived on the Pinnex Moor area of the home spent time in a large bright communal area. Both sides of the home had access to 2 separate secure gardens. The atmosphere was friendly with welcoming staff. People generally looked relaxed and at ease in their surroundings.

The provider’s leadership team were committed to learning from concerns to make the improvements needed. However, it was recognised the service would benefit from the stability of a registered manager to help with embedding change. For example, ensuring records showed how risks were being managed linked to pressure care and diabetes management.

Staff felt comfortable raising concerns and trusted the unit leads and the operations manager. The operations manager had kept people, relatives and visiting health and care professionals informed about the changes of management. This was through e-mails, surveys, meetings and speaking to people and staff individually.