CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Ashling 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 suitable risk assessments, enough staff, safe medicines management and infection control systems.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed, and staff had suitable training and support. People were supported with nutrition, healthcare and decisions about their care.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People and relatives were involved in care decisions and people's privacy and independence were supported.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences, communication and life histories. People were supported to see relatives, take part in activities and raise complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The management team used audits, meetings, feedback and an improvement plan to monitor the home. Staff said they understood their roles and felt supported.
What inspectors found, July 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with minor improvements needed in kitchen labelling and incident learning.
This was an unannounced inspection on 19 June 2023. One inspector spoke with people, relatives, care staff and managers. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines, training, infection control and other records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable care plans, trained staff and good support with food, healthcare and activities.
People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Their choices, communication needs, relationships and interests were considered. The home had systems for complaints, feedback and quality checks.
Inspectors found two minor areas still developing. Some opened food items were not dated, and procedures for recording lessons from accidents and incidents were still being developed.
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and appropriate recruitment checks. Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely.
“Medicine Administration Records showed the medicines each person had taken and at what times.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives said staff were kind, caring and respectful. Staff protected people's privacy and supported their independence.
“People and relatives told us staff were caring and respectful.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's health needs, choices, interests, communication needs and relationships. Plans were reviewed monthly.
“They gave a person-centred profile of people and provided information about their healthcare needs, their likes, dislikes, interests, communication abilities and relationships.” from the report
Activities and family contact
People were supported to maintain relationships and take part in activities such as bingo, painting, ball games and armchair exercises.
“Staff helped to arrange activities such as bingo, ball games, painting and arm chair exercises.” from the report
Active management
The management team carried out checks on medicines, care plans, infection control and the premises. They also kept a service improvement plan.
“The management team met regularly to review the service and maintained a service improvement plan.” from the report
Food dating
minorSome opened items in the kitchen refrigerator were not labelled with the date they were opened. The manager said this would be corrected.
“some items in the kitchen refrigerator, such as jars of marmalade or mayonnaise, were not always labelled with the date they were opened” from the report
Learning from incidents
needs fixingAccidents and incidents were investigated and action was taken, but the process for recording lessons learned was still being developed.
“The registered manager was developing their procedures to ensure lessons that were learned from incidents, were recorded to improve the quality of care to people.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure every opened perishable food item is dated?
- 02How are lessons from accidents and incidents recorded and shared with staff?
- 03How often are care plans reviewed if a person's needs or health change?
- 04How will you support my relative's communication needs, choices and preferred activities?
- 05How can relatives give feedback or raise a complaint, and how will we be kept informed?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control; it was the first inspection since the new provider registered the service. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 July 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.
Every inspection of Ashling House
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- July 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2022
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 March 2022.
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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What to check when you visit
At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Havering
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 £1,230 a week. 81 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“Sidonia is a first class live-in carer whose dedication and thoughtfulness made her stay a happy experience.”
“Always on time and with a lovely smile for my mum. Theresa is kind and sensitive to my mum's needs.”
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.