About the service: Ashcroft Nursing Home – Chesterfield is a residential care home that was providing nursing and personal care to older people and people living with dementia. They were registered to provide care for 42 people and there were 25 living at the home when we visited. The accommodation is across two floors with communal areas on each.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service met the characteristics of requires improvement.

There were not always enough staff to meet people’s needs promptly and safely. Infection control systems were not always embedded to protect people from harm. Some risks to people’s wellbeing were not effectively managed to ensure they were safe and their dignity was met. Staff did not always have the time to spend with people to engage in activities or speak with them when they were distressed. Staff training was not always sufficient to ensure they had could support people effectively. The governance of the home was not effective in making the improvements required in a timely manner. People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives nor supported in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service were not followed to review this practice. The environment required some maintenance and signage to ensure people’s independence.

People’s nutritional needs were met and there were good systems in place to monitor their weight and skin integrity. There were relationships in place with local healthcare providers to ensure people’s health needs were met. Medicines were managed to reduce the risks associated with them and were administered as prescribed. Families felt well informed of people’s wellbeing and welcomed to visit at any time.

When people required end of life care, there were measures in place to understand their wishes. People felt able to raise concerns about their care and be confident they would be dealt with promptly.

The registered manager was approachable and there were systems in place which encouraged people to give their feedback. Safe recruitment procedures were followed.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: The service was last inspected on 6 February 2018 and was rated good.

Why we inspected: This inspection was brought forward due to concerns raised from reviews of the home completed by other professionals.

Enforcement: We found three breaches in regulatory standards and you can see what action we told the provider to take at back of full version of the report.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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

We inspected this home on 6 February 2018, this was the homes first inspection since their registration in March 2017. The inspection was unannounced Ashcroft Nursing Home in Chesterfield is a residential nursing home. People in care homes receive accommodation, nursing and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home can accommodate up to 42 people. At the time of our inspection there were 31 people living in the home.

The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the home is run.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the home supported this practice. Staff received support for their role and training to develop their level of understanding about the care they provide.

People and their relatives felt relaxed at the home. All the staff were passionate about providing a home that met people’s needs. Relatives told us that their family member received care which was compassionate, kind and respectful.

People were protected from harm and staff knew to raise any concerns. Any concerns raised had been investigated and lessons learnt how to avoid a reoccurrence. The control of infection had been managed and people were encouraged to personalise their own space. The home continued to make improvements to the environment both internally and in the garden.

There was sufficient staff to support people’s needs and they had been recruited using appropriate checks to ensure they were suitable to work with people. The meals provided a variety of choices to support people’s dietary needs. Medicines were managed safety and in line with peoples prescribed needs.

Stimulation was on offer which supports people’s interests or previous lifestyles. The care plans were detailed and included all aspects of peoples care. These had been reviewed and any changes reflected.

A range of information was available to relatives and visitors, these included a complaints procedure. Any complaints had been responded to formally. The home completed regular audits on a range of areas to ensure the quality of the care was maintained and improved. Feedback was obtained from people using the home and staff members, information from the surveys had been shared to reflect the comments and actions to consider the feedback.