CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Ashfield
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe and staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, safe medicines systems and effective infection control.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and care plans gave clear guidance. Staff had training, people received suitable food and drinks, and staff worked with health professionals.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People could make choices about their routines, personal care and how they spent their time.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and plans were reviewed when people's needs changed. People could keep in touch with family, join activities and access the local community.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had quality checks, staff meetings and satisfaction surveys. Inspectors noted that there was no registered manager in post during the inspection, but an interim manager and wider provider support were in place.
What inspectors found, February 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with no major concerns identified.
The inspection was unannounced and took place over two days. One inspector spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They also observed care and checked medicines, care plans, staff recruitment and health and safety records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe and were happy with their care. Inspectors saw staff treating people kindly and respecting their choices, privacy and routines.
Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable infection control and good support from health professionals. The home had also been refurbished and had systems for checking quality and making improvements.
Kind, respectful care
People spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw gentle interactions and found that staff knew people's needs, wishes and preferences.
“Throughout the day we saw kind and gentle interactions from staff.” from the report
People have choice
People could follow their own routines, choose when to get up and go to bed, and decide where to eat and how to spend their day.
“People told us they were consulted and listened to.” from the report
Safe medicines and staffing
Inspectors found enough staff and saw medicines being given sensitively. Staff were trained and their competence was checked each year.
“People told us they were given the right medicines at the right time.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People were supported to see visitors, maintain friendships, take part in activities and go into the local community.
“There was a varied activity programme run by the wellbeing co-ordinator.” from the report
Good health support
Staff worked with health professionals and responded to changes in people's health, including weight loss.
“The staff worked with healthcare professionals to make sure people received care which met their needs.” from the report
Home improvements
The building had been extensively refurbished and maintained. Inspectors said this helped create a homely environment.
“There had been extensive refurbishment and decoration of all areas of the premises including new carpets and fresh paintwork” from the report
No registered manager at inspection
needs fixingThere was no registered manager in post when inspectors visited. A new manager had been employed, with plans to apply for registration, so families should check the current position.
“At the time of our inspection there was a not a registered manager in post.” from the report
- 01Is the new manager now registered with the CQC, and how was the handover from the interim manager completed?
- 02Are staffing levels still enough to support personal care, activities and trips out?
- 03How are medicines audits and staff competency checks carried out now?
- 04How are care plans reviewed when a person's health, communication needs or preferences change?
- 05What activities and support to access the local community are currently available?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, including infection prevention and control measures. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 February 2023 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, January 2021
Rated Good and no longer in special measures; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care after serious earlier failings.
Inspectors visited on 11 December 2020 to check whether improvements had been made. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, toured the home and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records. Infection control was also checked because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They found Good ratings in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Care plans and risk assessments were up to date. Staff knew people well, medicines were managed safely, the home was clean and maintained, and activities and meals were tailored to people's choices.
The home had previously been rated Inadequate overall and was in special measures. The report says earlier breaches and the Warning Notice had been addressed, the home was no longer in special measures, and restrictions on placements had been removed.
Kind, respectful care
Inspectors saw caring interactions and found that staff knew people well. People were supported with dignity, patience and respect.
“People were treated with dignity and respect by kind and caring staff.” from the report
Safe medicines and risk management
Medicines were administered, stored and recorded safely. Risk assessments, falls checks and accident reviews helped staff respond to risks.
“Medicines were safely administered, stored and recorded by staff who had the required knowledge and skills.” from the report
Personalised activities
Activities were regular and based on people's interests. Staff also created meaningful roles and helped people keep in touch with relatives.
“Activities and engagement provision was thorough, person centred, regular and showed clear positive outcomes for people.” from the report
Strong oversight
The report found regular audits, spot checks and management support. Feedback was used to improve care and safety.
“There were clear systems in place to monitor, assess and improve the quality and safety of service people received.” from the report
Serious previous failings
seriousThe home had been rated Inadequate in 2019 and was still in breach of some regulations in March 2020. The current report says these problems were addressed, but families may still want evidence that improvements are lasting.
“At our inspection in March 2020, not enough improvement had been made and the provider was still in breach of regulation 13 and 12.” from the report
- 01How do you check that the improvements found in December 2020 are still being maintained?
- 02How are each person's falls risks and other risk assessments reviewed when their needs change?
- 03How will you support my relative's communication, interests and contact with family?
- 04What nursing or healthcare support would be arranged if my relative's needs became more complex?
- 05How can relatives raise a concern, and how will we be kept informed about the response?
This inspection checked improvements across all five key questions and included infection prevention and control, as well as care, staffing, medicines, premises and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 January 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.
Every inspection of Ashfield
7 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2021GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Inspected but not rated
- September 2019Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- February 2019Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvement
- August 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 January 2011.
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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17 live-in carers within about an hour of Devon
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 £1,020 to £1,270 a week. 15 can care for a couple. 13 years' experience on average.
“She is such a warm and gentle person while being professional and competent at the same time.”
“She looked after my mum, who can be incredibly challenging, so well and so gently, and we always felt confident that my mum was getting the best care available.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.