About the service: The Ashurst is a residential care home located on the sea front. It provides personal care for up to 19 people. On the day of our inspection 16 people were being supported.

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People’s experience of using this service:

¿ People told us that The Ashurst was a good place to live. One person said “This is quite a nice place to live in, I wouldn’t want to move from here. The staff are so helpful.”

¿The staff team were consistent and knew people and their needs well.

¿ Staff were recruited safely and received on-going support and training to be effective in their roles.

¿ Risks had been assessed and actions put in place to mitigate any identified risks. These supported people’s independence as far as possible.

¿ People were supported by staff who were caring and supportive to their needs.

¿ People were supported to engage in a variety of activities which interested them.

¿ People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the last restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

¿ The service was well run and there were systems to assess and monitor the service and continuously improve.

The service had been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated Good at our last inspection.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained Good.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned based on the rating. If we receive any concerns we may bring our inspection forward.

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

This inspection took place on 19 April 2016 and was unannounced.

The Ashurst provides accommodation and personal care to up to 19 people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. People who use the service may also have mental health needs, a physical disability or dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 16 people living in the service.

The service has a registered manager in place. 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 service is run.

People were safe because staff understood their roles and responsibilities in managing risk and identifying abuse. People’s care needs were identified and they received safe care and support which met their assessed needs.

There were sufficient staff who had been recruited safely and who had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support to people in ways they needed and preferred.

People’s health needs were well managed by staff who sought guidance from relevant health care professionals when required.

People were treated with kindness and respect by staff who knew them well. Staff respected people’s wishes with regard to privacy and time alone.

People were encouraged and supported to take part in a variety of activities that they enjoyed. They were supported to develop and maintain relationships with friends and family.

There was an open culture and the management team demonstrated good leadership skills. Staff morale was good and they were enthusiastic about their roles.

The management team had systems in place to check and audit the quality of the service. The views of people, their relatives were sought regularly.

Due to their complex needs, some people who used the service were not able to tell us about their experiences of the care and treatment they received although others could. One person told us, "They look after me alright". Another person described to us how they had helped decorate their bedroom

During our inspection we observed the people living in the service and their interaction with staff. We saw that staff treated people with respect and offered them choice. On the day of our visit the service was taking people out on a trip to a local attraction. We saw staff taking time to explain to people what they would be doing and asking if they wanted to go on the trip.

We saw three people’s care plans which showed that their needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. Care plans contained an easy read section to enable people to participate in their care planning.

People had individual bedrooms which they had personalised.

Staff told us they enjoyed working in the service and felt supported in their work.

We spoke with four people who used the service. They told us they liked living in The Ashurst, were happy with their care and the staff treated them well.

People told us about the opportunities they had to be part of the local community and that the service organised outings and activities in the service they could take part in if they wanted to. They told us they enjoyed the activities and there were different things to participate in each day. One person said “I love going out for coffee and getting out and about.” Another person said “I like going shopping in town and getting bits for myself. I got my new glasses today.”

People said that staff respected their privacy and dignity, knocked on their bedroom doors before entering and also helped them to remain as independent as possible. One person told us “They (staff) help me to do things for myself. Like remind me when to do things and to make choices, as I sometimes forget”.