Asher Care

Updated 11 November 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

Asher Care is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Asher Care is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information held in our system and notifications we had received since our last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed 3 people’s care records and looked at records relating to medicines management, recruitment, safety of premises and equipment, and quality assurance. We spoke with 3 people and 6 staff at the service, including the registered manager. We observed interactions between staff and people within communal areas. We contacted 6 professionals by email and received feedback from 2. We also received further feedback from 4 members of staff and 2 relatives.

Updated 11 November 2023

About the service

Asher Care is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 25 people. The service provides support to both adults and older people with mental health needs, including dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

People were safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm. People told us they felt safe and felt comfortable raising any concerns they had with staff. One person said, “I’m very happy here. I get on well with other people, I go out when I want to, and I feel safe”. The provider assessed risks to ensure people were safe. Staff took action to mitigate any identified risks. Each person had personalised assessments that considered their individual risks and circumstances, and medicines were well managed.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and staff had the skills and knowledge to support people safely. One relative told us, “There seemed to be enough staff. It is very good. From the very first visit, I could tell they were not just at work – it seemed a proper team feel and they were all very friendly and relaxed towards the residents”. People were protected from the risk of infection and were able to receive visitors in line with best practice guidance. The provider was working in line with the Mental Capacity Act.

There was an open and positive culture at the service. People were supported in a person-centred way, which supported them to achieve good outcomes. Quality assurance systems ensured the registered manager had oversight of the delivery of care and identified any areas for improvement. Feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff in order to engage them and improve the service. One member of staff said, “I can confidently say that I have never felt more comfortable in a working environment than I have here. The management team are always there if you need them.” We received positive feedback from health professionals.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published September 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key question not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Asher Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.