Ashley Gardens Care Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

The provider had a quality monitoring system in place with regular audits being undertaken, for example, in medicines, infection control and health and safety. Shortfalls found during audits were acted upon and reviewed regularly with the team. Lessons learned from incidents were shared. Staff told us the management team were approachable and supportive.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had an active home development plan in place. This was reviewed regularly by the management team and audited by senior leaders in the organisation to ensure actions were being taken to resolve any shortfalls and deadlines were met. A staff suggestion box had been created to support staff to express any thoughts, new ideas or changes.

A new management team had been deployed since our last inspection. The registered manager had a clear vision for the service and an active home development plan in place. Staff told us the culture was open and transparent with approachable leaders and good teamwork. Staff were aware of their responsibilities and the role they played within the team.

The was an experienced management team in place. A new role of unit manager had been created to provide closer leadership and clinical mentoring on each unit. Having an additional management layer had also helped to build resilience into the system.

The registered manager and management team had an open-door approach and was proactive around the service, encouraging people, relatives and staff to talk to them at any time. The service had a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The management team had processes in place to ensure the views of the staff could be heard. This included a structured meeting schedule, regular one to one supervision meeting and an open-door approach. Recently a staff suggestions box has also been created.

The registered manager ensured staff had any reasonable adjustments that were needed to enable them to complete their role effectively. One member of staff told us how they had been supported to access accessible equipment to support them in their role. The provider created a fair an unbiased culture in the service with a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Staff told us they felt supported and were treated fairly. Staff had not witnessed any form of discrimination or bias in their workplace but said they would be confident to report this should it arise.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service people received. A wide range of audits were completed including an entire systems audit completed by various members of the management team including the clinical lead, nurses, the deputy manager and the registered manager. Any identified actions were recorded and monitored by a member of the management team who ensured their prompt completion.

There was a clear management structure in place and nurses and care staff understood their responsibilities to meet statutory requirements. A new role of unit manager was being introduced to provide more clinical support and leadership to the team. There was a robust system in place to assess and monitor the quality of care and support through a range of checks and audits. The management team had an open-door policy. Staff told us managers were approachable and supportive. Staff enjoyed working in the service. One staff member told us, “I really like the part of my job where I’m building relationships with people. It feels really important to them, I feel valued and feel like I am making a difference for people. I really love it a lot.” Another staff member said, “I like working here. I am proud to do a job where I care for people who can’t care for themselves, it is very rewarding.”

A health care professional told us they felt there had been positive improvements made since the new management team started and said the staff team were informative and knew people and their health needs well. Staff had a good working relationship with other health and social care professionals who visited the service. Staff were keen to learn from other professionals, for example, dieticians and tissue viability nurses.

A condition of registration was placed on the service following the inspection published October 2022 requiring the provider to complete and send documents to demonstrate an audit of all care records and systems that were in place. These had been sent on a monthly basis and showed that action has been taken to address any shortfalls that had been identified. There were processes in place for sharing information with the local GP surgery so that GP visits could focus on people who needed to be reviewed. Each person had a hospital passport that could be shared with hospital partners if a person needed to be admitted to hospital for treatment or an outpatient appointment.

There had been a high turnover of staff in the service, but recruitment had been successful. This had resulted in a more stable staff structure and a reduced reliance on agency workers. All staff we spoke to told us the service had improved in terms of culture, management and quality of care that was more personalised. Staff reported improved teamwork with fewer agency staff deployed. There was a process in place for gathering feedback from staff, people and relatives to drive improvements within the service. For example, the service had plans to create a “green room” to use for indoor gardening.

Audits and checks were made by the clinical team regarding people’s wounds, weights, accidents and incidents, skin integrity and any lessons learnt. A monthly clinical meeting was held with the heads of Department as well as a nutritional meeting with the heads of departments for example, nurses, clinical lead and the chef to discuss any issues or concerns relating to people’s nutrition or hydration intake and action they would take if there were any concerns identified.