CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Ashfield Court - Harrogate
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing infection, using PPE safely, accessing testing and managing possible outbreaks. They also found the infection prevention and control policy was up to date.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, February 2021
Ashfield Court - Harrogate was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good COVID-19 infection control arrangements.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 5 February 2021. It focused only on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspectors found that visitors were screened, tested where needed, and given access to hand sanitiser and personal protective equipment. The home also had a visitors pod and a room with window access for visits.
Inspectors were assured about the home's arrangements for PPE, testing, social distancing, shielding, cleanliness, admissions and managing outbreaks. The home was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Visitor infection checks
Visitors were screened for COVID-19 symptoms, and visitors outside the regular testing programme had a rapid test before entering.
“Visitors who were not part of a routine COVID-19 testing programme would have a "rapid" COVID-19 test before being able to enter the service.” from the report
PPE and hygiene
The home had PPE stations, hand sanitiser and information posters throughout the building. Staff understood how to use PPE safely.
“Members of staff had detailed knowledge of taking on and taking off PPE and the risks around COVID-19.” from the report
Regular testing
Staff were tested three times a week, and people living at the home were tested every 28 days. Temperature checks were also carried out.
“Staff had three COVID-19 tests per week and people living at the service had a COVID-19 test every 28 days.” from the report
Safer visiting options
The home provided a visitors pod and a room with window access so residents could see relatives.
“The service had a visitors pod and a room with window access to allow people who lived at the service to see relatives.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01Are the same visitor screening, testing and PPE arrangements still in place?
- 02How often are staff and residents tested now, and what happens if someone tests positive?
- 03How does the home manage visits for relatives who cannot use the visitors pod or window-access room?
- 04How do you keep the infection prevention and control policy up to date?
- 05What arrangements are used to prevent or manage an infection outbreak?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other key questions were not assessed in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 February 2021 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, June 2018
Ashfield Court - Harrogate was rated Good; inspectors found caring, safe support, with minor medicine recording problems corrected during the inspection.
Inspectors visited on 17 and 18 April 2018. The first day was unannounced. They spoke with 13 people, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional. They observed care and lunchtime, and checked care records, medicines records, staffing, training, complaints and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall. Each of the five areas was also rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable recruitment checks, trained staff, respectful care, personalised care plans and good management oversight.
At the previous inspection in March 2017, the home required improvement and had breached rules about medicines, records and quality monitoring. Inspectors found these breaches had been met. They found some minor problems with topical medicine records and storage temperatures on the first day, but the registered manager acted and inspectors found no further concerns on the second day.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe and well cared for. Staff understood safeguarding procedures and there were enough staff to respond promptly.
“People told us they felt safe and were well cared for.” from the report
Respectful care
Staff were polite and sensitive. They knocked before entering bedrooms and respected people's choices about privacy, personal care and their daily routines.
“People said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans were person-centred and staff knew people's health needs, interests and preferences. Plans and risk assessments had been reviewed.
“The care files we looked at were person centred and descriptive of people's needs.” from the report
Activities and choice
People had access to activities, visitors, community facilities, books, computers and regular events. Activities were discussed at residents' and relatives' meetings.
“People said there were enough things to get involved in at the service and told us they enjoyed the activities on offer.” from the report
Improved management
The home had improved its records and quality checks since the previous inspection. People and staff were asked for their views, and suggestions were used to make changes.
“During this inspection we saw sufficient improvements to both record keeping and quality assurance/monitoring had been made” from the report
Medicine records and storage
needs fixingOn the first day, some topical medicines were not recorded properly, one cream was being used for another person and the temperature of an external medicine cupboard was not recorded. The manager corrected these issues within 24 hours and inspectors found no further problems on day two.
“At the start of this inspection we found the use of 'topical medicines' were not always recorded and a cream prescribed for one person was being used for another.” from the report
Some refresher training overdue
needs fixingSome carers were overdue refresher training for medicine administration, including training linked to a person's PEG. The manager showed that this training had been booked.
“though some carers were overdue for refresher training.” from the report
Condition-specific care plans
minorInspectors suggested adding specific care plans for conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy and dementia. One person with diabetes did not have a specific foot care plan, although inspectors found the person was receiving appropriate foot care.
“For example, one person had diabetes and received input and care from the district nurse team.” from the report
Learning from incidents
minorInspectors discussed introducing a clearer process for reviewing medicine errors and other incidents so the home could identify lessons and reduce the chance of repeat problems.
“We discussed with the registered manager about introducing 'Learning from events' such as medicine errors or incidents.” from the report
- 01How are topical medicines recorded now, including where and when creams or gels should be applied?
- 02How do you check and record the temperature of all medicine storage areas?
- 03Have all staff completed the refresher training that was overdue at the inspection?
- 04How are care plans made specific to conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy and dementia?
- 05How do you review medicine errors and other incidents to make improvements?
This inspection covered all five CQC questions and included care, medicines, records, staffing, training, complaints and management checks. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 June 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 Ashfield Court - Harrogate
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- June 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 December 2010.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of North Yorkshire
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 £1,010 to £1,290 a week. 27 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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