CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Ashgrove House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection control, PPE, testing, safe admissions, outbreak management and COVID-19 vaccination requirements. The provider also said it had measures to reduce risks from COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not rated or assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not rated or assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not rated or assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This area was not rated or assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, January 2022
Ashgrove House was inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection control and visiting arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 20 January 2022. Inspectors focused on infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements, and whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected care.
Inspectors were assured that visitors were screened, PPE was used safely, testing was in place, and the home had processes for managing outbreaks. The home was clean, well maintained and free from odours.
The home supported social contact through video calls and a visitors' pod. Some visits had been paused because of a recent outbreak, but they were due to resume in line with guidance.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give a new overall quality rating or full ratings for all five areas of care.
Infection control
Inspectors found systems to reduce the risk of visitors bringing infections into the home. PPE, testing and outbreak procedures were in place.
“We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was described as clean, maintained and free from unpleasant smells. Cleaning schedules were in place.
“The care home was clean, well maintained and odour-free.” from the report
PPE and supplies
Staff used face masks and PPE was available throughout the home. Inspectors saw sufficient PPE supplies.
“Hand sanitiser and PPE was readily available throughout the service. The home had sufficient supplies of PPE.” from the report
Maintaining contact
The home supported people's social and emotional wellbeing through video calls and a specially adapted visitors' pod.
“Alternative forms of maintaining social contact were in place including video calls.” from the report
Audits and policies
Infection control policies and audits were current. The home had acted on findings from its regular audits.
“Policies and audits relating to infection prevention control, including coronavirus were up-to-date.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01Have visits fully resumed after the recent COVID-19 outbreak, and what arrangements are currently in place?
- 02What measures are currently used to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures?
- 03How often are infection prevention and control audits completed, and what actions were taken after the latest audit?
- 04What are the home's current full CQC ratings for Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led?
- 05How are residents supported to maintain contact with family if visiting is restricted again?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19 staffing pressures; it did not provide full ratings for the service. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 January 2022 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, November 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with a small concern about some people waiting for their meal.
Inspectors visited the home without warning on 16 October 2018. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, and checked care records, medicines, training, complaints, accidents and quality checks.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people felt safe, staff were kind and well trained, medicines were managed properly, and care records reflected people's individual needs.
The home had improved significantly since the September 2017 inspection. The earlier inspection found a medicines problem and rated the home Requires Improvement. Inspectors found that issue had been dealt with and the home was now rated Good overall.
Improved medicines safety
The medicines problem found at the previous inspection had been resolved. The electronic system reduced the likelihood of mistakes and staff had updated training and competency checks.
“Medication was administered, recorded and stored safely, and people's medication needs were regularly assessed with the support of the local GP who had established a weekly surgery in the home.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw staff treating people with patience, kindness and compassion. Staff knew residents well and supported privacy, dignity and choice.
“Our observations showed staff clearly knew people well. People were treated with kindness, respect, compassion and emotional support.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans described people's abilities, preferences, risks and support needs in detail. Records were reviewed and updated when needed.
“Care plans were detailed and very personalised, focusing on people's abilities and strengths.” from the report
Activities and outings
The home offered a wide range of activities, including crafts, games, exercises, baking, outings and visits from a therapy dog. People took part as much as they wished.
“Our observations showed everyone was included and participated as much as they wished.” from the report
Meal service was not always even
minorTwo people were served their meal before two others at the same table. Those waiting became a little anxious.
“We did observe two people being served their meal before two others at the same table which meant those without became a little anxious.” from the report
- 01Is the electronic medicines system still being used, and how are medicines checked if the system raises an alert?
- 02How do you make sure everyone at a table receives their meal without unnecessary waiting?
- 03How often will our relative and family be invited to care planning reviews?
- 04What activities and outings are available for someone with my relative's interests and abilities?
- 05Has the extension and the planned dementia café and activity space been completed?
This was an unannounced inspection that looked at the overall service, including the premises and care, and assessed all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 November 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 Ashgrove House
4 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- January 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 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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Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 79 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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