Archived: Ashpark House

Updated 28 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 19 September 2017 and was unannounced. It was completed by one inspector. We reviewed the information we held about the service including safeguarding alerts and statutory notifications which related to the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we spoke with two people who used the service. As some people were unable or chose not to speak to us we observed staff interactions with them. We spoke with three staff. We also spoke with the registered manager.

Following the inspection we contacted relatives and professionals for feedback about the service. We reviewed four people’s care records, eight medication administration records (MAR) and a selection of documents about how the service was managed. These included, staff recruitment files, induction, and training schedules and training plan.

We also looked at the service’s arrangements for the management of medicines, complaints and compliments information, safeguarding alerts and quality monitoring and audit information.

For a more comprehensive report regarding this service, please refer to the report of our last visit which was published on 18 September 2015.

Updated 28 October 2017

Ashpark House is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 11 people who require support regarding a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection 9 people were living at the service.

When we last visited the service it was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People were safe because staff supported them to understand how to keep safe and staff knew how to manage risk effectively. There were sufficient numbers of care staff on shift with the correct skills and knowledge to keep people safe. There were appropriate arrangements in place for medicines to be stored and administered safely.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way. Management and staff understood their responsibility in this area. Staff were committed to ensuring all decisions were made in people’s best interest.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Care plans were individual and contained information about how people preferred to communicate and their ability to make decisions.

People were encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoyed, and were supported to keep in contact with family members. When needed, they were supported to see health professionals and referrals were put through to ensure they had the appropriate care and treatment.

Staff and other professionals were complimentary about the management of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people.

The management team had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided.