Ashbury Care Home

Who the service is for

The service supports older people, including people living with dementia, mental health needs and people with learning disabilities.

We carried out this assessment on 18 August 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. We found that the provider was working to this guidance.

People were supported in a service where safety remained a priority. Risks to people were assessed and managed in a way that balanced safety with independence and choice. Staffing levels were reviewed in line with people's needs and staff received training and support to carry out their roles safely. The provider had systems to learn from incidents, complaints and feedback and used this information to improve practice. Medicines were reviewed regularly with healthcare professionals and people were protected through safeguarding processes and partnership working with external agencies.

People received care from staff who understood their individual needs and preferences. Communication needs were assessed and supported through a range of accessible formats, assistive tools and personalised approaches. Staff worked collaboratively with healthcare professionals including GPs, community nursing teams, speech and language therapists, mental health services and learning disability teams to support people's health and wellbeing.

There was a caring culture throughout the home. People were supported to make choices, maintain relationships and participate in activities that were meaningful to them. Staff respected people's protected characteristics, cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs and personal preferences. The provider promoted dignity, autonomy and individual choice in day-to-day care.

Care was personalised and responsive to changes in people's needs. People received information in formats that met their communication needs and were encouraged to provide feedback about their experiences. The provider demonstrated a commitment to ensuring people had equitable access to care, support, activities and community opportunities.

Leaders had established governance systems to monitor quality and safety and promote continuous improvement. There was an open culture where learning, staff development and innovation were encouraged. The provider demonstrated a commitment to workforce wellbeing, inclusion and equality and worked collaboratively with external partners to improve outcomes for people.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions they had choice, control and freedom over their lives. One professional described senior leaders as, "proactive", while another said they were, "Always wanting the best for people at Ashbury. They encourage people to live their own lives as they wish and if it involves risk, they handle that really well.”