Latest Inspection
This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 20th April 2010. CQC found this care home to be providing an Excellent service.
The inspector found no outstanding requirements from the previous inspection report,
but made 1 statutory requirements (actions the home must comply with) as a result of this inspection.
For extracts, read the latest CQC inspection for Ashlar House.
What the care home does well People who live at Ashlar House are well cared for and good systems are in place to make sure their specialist needs are recognised and met. The service works well with other professionals to make sure people receive the right care and support. The acting manager and staff treat people with respect and make sure their rights and independence are promoted. Staff receive good support and, in the main, are well trained which equips them with the right skills and knowledge to meet people`s needs. Staff work well together as a team. Everyone benefits from a well run home. The acting manager communicates a clear sense of direction and everyone has a good understanding of their role and responsibilities. What the care home could do better: People who live at the home should be more involved in the care planning process to make sure their wishes and aspirations are recognised and met. The service should make sure significant events are reported to CQC so we can monitor what is happening with the service. This will help safeguard people who live at the home. Staff have been booked on safeguarding training but as yet they have not received it. It is important that they receive the training so they understanding how to respond to any safeguarding incidents, which helps safeguard people who live at the home. Random inspection report
Care homes for adults (18-65 years)
Name: Address: Ashlar House 76 Potternewton Lane Leeds West Yorkshire LS7 3LW three star excellent service The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed review of the service. Details of how to get other inspection reports for this care home, including the last key inspection report, can be found on the last page of this report. Lead inspector: Carol Haj-Najafi Date: 2 0 0 4 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Ashlar House 76 Potternewton Lane Leeds West Yorkshire LS7 3LW 01132262700 01132262700 admin@las.uk.net Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Christine Ann Pullinger Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Leeds Autism Services care home 8 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 learning disability Conditions of registration: Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home 8 Ashlar House is registered to provide residential care to eight people with learning disibilities, which specialises in providing a service for people with autism. The National Autistic Society accredits the organisation in control of the home, which is a local Christian charity. The aim of the home is to meet the wide range of needs of everyone, as determined by their autism, much of it being linked to and complemented by a day centre, which is also run by the same charity. The home is a large detached property and situated in a residential area of the suburbs of Leeds, close to a range of local facilities, including shops, pubs, and bars. There are eight single bedrooms for people who use the service, and overnight accommodation is provided for visitors. There are several communal rooms. Information about the service, which includes the last
Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 9 Brief description of the care home inspection report and service user guide are available from the Home. The manager of the service can provide information about fees. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 9 What we found:
We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection. This included: - The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service. - Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints or safeguarding incidents. - What the service has told us about things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. - The previous key inspection which was carried out on 30 May 2007 and annual service reviews. - Relevant information from other organisations and what other people have told us about the service. Surveys were sent out to people who use the service and staff. Fourteen surveys were returned, six from people who live at the home and eight from staff. One inspector carried out an unannounced visit to the home on 20th April 2010. We spent three and a half hours at the home and spoke to three people who live at the home, three staff and the person who is overseeing the management of the service during the registered managers absence. The service sent us their annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. It gave us good examples of what they do well, how they have improved and how they plan to improve. In the AQAA, the acting manager provided us with examples of what the service does well. She said, Each individual has a person centred service user plan informed by the baseline assessment and ongoing monitoring/reviewing, and agreed with the individual and significant others where appropriate. One of the main aims of the service is to support individuals overcome the disabling effects of autism and enable them to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life of their choice This involves each individual having a person centred programme of activity which includes a balance of educational, occupational and leisure activities. All service users have detailed support plans for their preferred morning and evening routines to ensure consistency of approach, and help reduce anxieties. Staff are aware of the importance of promoting independence and not deskilling service users. The organisation recognises that the staff team are its most valuable asset and that the service is only as good as the staff team. Taking this into account the service prioritises staff training and acknowledges the absolute necessity of meticulous recruitment and selection procedures, together with a thorough effective induction programme designed to combine organisational induction with common induction standards and LDQ (Learning Disability Qualification).
Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 9 People who live at the home told us they are happy with the care they receive and gave us some very good examples of what the home does well. One person said, Helps me with my needs, staff support me to do e mailing and with my daily routines when I need help. There are lots of choices with meals. Another person said, I do different things and staff help me make decisions. When we spoke to staff during our site visit they said people who live at the home are well cared for. Staff said they are familiar with peoples care plans and the care planning system works well. Staff said the home works very well with other professionals and is very good at meeting peoples healthcare needs. One staff said, We develop life skills with people and it varies for each individual. We work to a very high standard. Another staff said, Its a very good service. People have an active lifestyle. Staff surveys provided us with positive information about the service. They told us staff are given up to date information about the needs of the people they support and they know what to do if someone has concerns about the home. They gave us examples of what the service does well. One survey said, Provides good support to meet individual needs and offers a positive, well supported environment for people. Another survey said, Support service users in daily living and care for welfare and needs of service users. Several staff commented about the good team work at Ashlar house. In the AQAA the acting manager said, The service user plan is clear and easy to follow and this was positively remarked upon again during a recent review of the services by the NAS (National Autistic Society) accreditation team. Staff also told us the support plans are well written and clearly identify peoples needs. When we spoke to people who live at the home they were not really familiar with their support plans. The acting manager said they have identified this as an area to develop, and are going to focus more on setting goals with people and involving people more in the care planning process. We talked to staff about the management of the service. Everyone said the home continues to run smoothly during the registered managers absence and the current management arrangements are working well. Staff said the acting manager is accessible and approachable. One staff said, Its not just about doing our job. How we develop is also important to management. Staff surveys told us management regularly or often give enough support to staff and meet to discuss their working. Staff said they are confident that the management team would deal with any concerns appropriately. We spoke to people about safeguarding. One person who lives at the home told us they were sometimes frightened of other people living in the house and discussed two incidents that had occurred. We looked at incident records which were very detailed and clearly identified that some incidents had taken place where people who live at the home had threatened or attacked other people who live at the home. Following incidents the service has informed and involved other professionals and are closely monitoring the situation. However, they have not always informed CQC about events that have affected the health and welfare of people who are living at the home. It is important they share this information with us so we can also monitor significant events at the home. Some staff said they have not received safeguarding training although they were confident the acting manager would provide guidance and advice on any safeguarding issues. In the AQAA the acting manager said their plans for improvement over the next
Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 5 of 9 twelve months includes all staff to be trained in safeguarding and Team Teach with regards to physical intervention. At the site visit, the acting manager confirmed that all staff have been booked on external safeguarding training and the whole team will have completed safeguarding training by the end of August 2010. Staff said they are given training that is relevant to their role, helps them understand and meets individual needs and keeps them up to date with new ways of working. Several staff said they think training is very good and the organisation makes sure training is up to date, especially training about autism and staff induction. What the care home does well: What they could do better: If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details set out on page 2. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 6 of 9 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements
These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 7 of 9 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection:
Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action 1 23 37 Significant events that affect 31/05/2010 the health and welfare of people who receive a service must be reported to the Care Quality Commission. This will make sure the service can be monitored by the regulatory body and people who use the service are safeguarded. Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service.
No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations 1 6 People who live at the home should be more involved in the care planning process. This will help make sure peoples wishes and aspirations are identified and met. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 8 of 9 Reader Information
Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report Care Quality Commission General Public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Copies of the National Minimum Standards –Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or got from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. © Care Quality Commission 2010 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any format or medium for noncommercial purposes, provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context. The source should be acknowledged, by showing the publication title and © Care Quality Commission 2010. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 9 of 9 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. Re-publishing this information is in breach of the terms of use of that website. Discrete codes and changes have been inserted throughout the textual data shown on the site that will provide incontrovertable proof of copying in the event this information is re-published on other websites. The policy of www.bestcarehome.co.uk is to use all legal avenues to pursue such offenders, including recovery of costs. You have been warned!
