CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Ash Tree House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, effective risk management and generally safe medicines arrangements, but infection control practices were not always followed.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not assessed during this focused inspection. Its previous rating was carried forward.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not assessed during this focused inspection. The report describes positive relationships and support for choice, but the rating was carried forward from the previous inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not assessed during this focused inspection. Its previous rating was carried forward.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had a positive and open culture, a clear management structure and regular quality checks. People and staff were involved in decisions about the home.
What inspectors found, February 2024
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring support, but infection control and the condition of parts of the home needed improvement.
This was an announced focused inspection on 11 December 2023. The inspector reviewed information from the service and other professionals, spoke with people, relatives, managers and staff, observed care, and checked records, medicines, the building and quality checks.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe recruitment, suitable medicines support, effective risk management and systems for safeguarding people. Staff knew people well and supported their choices, independence and communication needs.
Inspectors found that some bedding needed replacing and some areas were old and worn, making effective cleaning difficult. Staff were not always following safe infection control practices. Immediate action was taken over the bedding, and a refurbishment plan was due to start in January 2024.
This inspection only assessed Safe and Well-led. The ratings for the other three areas were carried forward from the previous inspection in 2018, so this report does not provide a new full assessment of them.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff worked consistently and knew the people living in the home well.
“There were sufficient staff on duty to ensure people received the support they required.” from the report
Choice and independence
Staff supported people to make decisions, communicate in ways that suited them and develop their independence.
“Staff supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence and they supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making.” from the report
Positive leadership
Inspectors found an open culture, positive relationships and a management structure that monitored care and supported improvements.
“There was a positive and open culture at the service. People and relatives spoke positively of the staff team and the support provided.” from the report
People's views used
People were involved in decisions about meals, activities and the home's décor. Their views were acted on.
“Regular 'residents meetings' took place where people were encouraged to express their wishes in relation to meals, activity and décor of the home.” from the report
Infection control and building condition
needs fixingStaff did not always follow safe infection control practices. Some bedding needed replacing and parts of the home were old and worn, although immediate action was taken and refurbishment was planned.
“People were not always protected from the risk of infection as staff were not consistently following safe infection prevention and control practices.” from the report
- 01What work from the refurbishment plan has been completed since the inspection, and what remains outstanding?
- 02How do you now check that staff consistently follow infection prevention and control practices?
- 03How quickly are worn bedding and other items identified and replaced?
- 04What regular audits are now used to check that the home is clean, safe and well maintained?
- 05How will you support my relative's choice, communication needs and independence in everyday decisions?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection in 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 February 2024 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, September 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, and the home remained Good since the previous inspection.
Inspectors visited on 20 August 2018. The visit was announced at short notice because people were often out during the day. One inspector spoke with people, staff and an outside professional, and reviewed care plans, medicine records, staff files and other records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines, clean premises, suitable training and support that respected people's choices and independence.
The home was last inspected in March 2016 and was also rated Good. This report says the home remained Good, so it met the standards inspectors checked, but a Good rating does not mean that every part of care was perfect or that future inspections will have the same result.
Safe care and medicines
Risks were assessed and reviewed, medicines records checked by inspectors were complete, and staff were trained to support people safely with medicines.
“MARs we looked at had been appropriately completed without errors.” from the report
Kind and respectful support
Inspectors saw staff give reassurance and emotional support. People had privacy in their own rooms and were treated with dignity.
“Throughout the inspection we saw staff providing kind and caring support.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, go out, work towards employment and take part in everyday tasks such as cooking and managing their own rooms.
“Staff were supported to maintain their independence and live as full a life as possible.” from the report
Personalised planning
Care plans included detailed guidance about the support people needed and how they wanted it delivered. People were encouraged to take part in reviews.
“People received personalised support based on their assessed needs and preferences.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you support my relative to make choices and remain as independent as possible?
- 02How do you check that medicines are given safely and that records remain complete?
- 03How many staff will be on duty when my relative needs support to attend appointments or go out?
- 04How will you communicate with my relative if they become anxious or have difficulty communicating?
- 05How will my relative take part in reviews of their support plan and choose activities?
This was an announced inspection of the overall service and all five CQC questions, including the care, accommodation and records checked during the visit. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 September 2018 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Ash Tree House
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2024Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 18 June 2015.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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31 live-in carers within about an hour of Redcar and Cleveland
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,280 a week. 29 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
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“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
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