The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has dropped the rating for Ashview, a residential care home run by Ashview House Limited, from requires improvement to inadequate following inspections in May and June and has placed the service into special measures to protect people.
Ashview cares for up to 13 autistic people and people with a learning disability. This inspection was carried out to follow up on the progress of improvements CQC told the provider to make at a previous inspection in July last year, and also due to concerns CQC received about the safety and quality of care.
As well as Ashview’s overall rating dropping from requires improvement to inadequate, so have its ratings for how safe and well-led it is. Its rating for how effective it is has dropped from good to inadequate. Its ratings for caring and responsive have dropped from good to requires improvement.
CQC inspectors also issued warning notices to focus Ashview’s attention on making significant changes to improve people’s safety, due to concerns found around governance and a lack of person-centred care.
CQC has placed the home into special measures, which means it will be kept under close review and re-inspected to check on the progress of improvements.
Rebecca Bauers, CQC’s director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said:
“When we inspected Ashview we were concerned to find leaders allowed a culture focused on routine, with care that was convenient for staff instead of taking into account people’s individual needs and preferences. This meant that the autistic people and people with a learning disability using the service weren’t always able to live the safe, fulfilling and meaningful lives many of us are able to take for granted.
“For example, leaders didn’t make sure all staff had training to understand people’s needs and sensitivities so they could ensure care was tailored to them to keep them safe and respected their human rights.
“We also saw these risks, as well as people’s preferences, weren’t always included in their care plans, and they or their loved ones weren’t always involved in decisions about their care. We also found people weren’t always supported by staff to pursue their goals or interests, all of which meant their choices and independence weren’t respected.
“Many of these issues were raised to leaders when we inspected last year, and it’s unacceptable that so little has been done to improve this since.
“We’ve issued a warning notice to the service to focus the provider’s attention urgently on making these improvements and won’t hesitate to take further action if we’re not assured people are receiving the standard of care they deserve.”
Inspectors also found:
- Some staff cared for people in kind and compassionate ways, but this wasn’t consistent. Inspectors found some staff using outdated and disrespectful language to describe people’s emotional support needs, and staff didn’t always speak to people when providing care
- People weren’t always supported in the least restrictive way possible. For example, it wasn’t clear how decisions on people being restricted from going out were made, which infringes on their human rights
- Leaders hadn’t encouraged a culture of learning and improvement to continually develop the care people received
- The home’s environment was cluttered and poorly maintained in areas, which could raise people’s risk of infection. Some equipment was being stored outside because there wasn’t enough space indoors. However, the provider was in the process of refurbishing the building.
However:
- People said they felt comfortable talking to staff and raising concerns about the service
- Leaders had implemented equality and diversity training to encourage more personalised care, but this wasn’t complete at the time of inspection.