CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Ashwood Park Residential and Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe and risks to their health, safety and wellbeing were managed effectively. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, safe medicines management and suitable infection control.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed, staff were trained and supported, and people received help with eating, drinking and accessing health professionals.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. They were involved in decisions about their care and encouraged to remain independent where safe.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. People had support with communication, relationships, interests and activities, and knew how to raise concerns.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found the home well managed, with an approachable management team, quality checks and regular consultation with people, relatives and staff.
What inspectors found, September 2022
Ashwood Park Residential and Nursing Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care across all five areas.
Inspectors visited without notice on 28 June, 7 July and 15 July 2022. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, checked the building and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and quality records.
The overall rating was Good. Each of the five areas was also rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led.
People and relatives said staff were kind, patient and respectful. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, suitable training, personalised care plans, support with food and health needs, and a range of activities.
This was the first inspection of the service since it was newly registered. The report says the previous provider had been rated Good in 2018.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke very positively about staff. Inspectors found that people were treated with dignity and that staff supported their choices.
“People and relatives spoke very highly of the staff and said they were kind, caring and patient.” from the report
Safe care
Risks, accidents and incidents were managed and reviewed. Inspectors found enough staff and safe systems for medicines and infection control.
“Staff assessed and managed risks to people's health, safety and wellbeing effectively.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's needs, preferences and communication methods. Staff reviewed these plans as people's needs changed.
“People received person-centred care which met their needs.” from the report
Good activities and relationships
People took part in activities in the home and were supported to maintain relationships and follow their interests.
“People enjoyed and took part in a range of activities in the home.” from the report
Effective management
The home used audits, meetings, surveys and reviews to monitor quality and gather views from people, relatives and staff.
“The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place which included regular audits.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you check that staffing levels continue to match the needs of the 64 people currently living here?
- 02How are medicines checked when a person has complex medicines or has to wait for two staff members?
- 03How often will my relative's care plan and communication needs be reviewed?
- 04How will you involve us in decisions about care, activities and any changing health needs?
- 05How would you record and respect my relative's end of life wishes if their needs changed?
This was the first inspection of the newly registered service and covered the premises, care provided and all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 September 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.
Every inspection of Ashwood Park Residential and Nursing Home
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- September 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Ashwood Park Residential and Nursing Home →
- April 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 September 2020.
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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47 live-in carers within about an hour of County Durham
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 £960 to £1,210 a week. 42 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“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.”
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.