Ashdale Care Home

⚠ At the last inspection, we found people who were at risk from falls from bed. At this inspection, we were not assured sufficient improvements had been made. The provider's policy stated that if the person was unable to use bedrails, then alternative equipment was available. For example, a padded matt …

⚠ People living at the care home would be at risk of Legionnaires disease. Since the last inspection, the provider had not completed routine maintenance of the water systems. This means there is an increased risk of waterborne legionella bacteria. Legionella bacteria can result in serious ill health if people then …

⚠ At the last inspection, we identified a fault with the fire alarm panel. At this inspection, the provider had not taken action to investigate or resolve this. This meant we were not assured people would be safe in the event of a fire.

⚠ The radiators in the care home did not heat the home enough. During the inspection, the provider was unable to resolve this heating issue. We were therefore not assured that people could live in a home that was a safe temperature for good health.

⚠ We were not assured staff were adequately trained. At the last inspection, we identified concerns with staff skills, limited action had been taken to provide further training. If people used the care home, they would be supported by staff without the appropriate skills.

⚠ People using the care home could be at risk of choking. Only 1 staff member had received relevant training on how to support people's swallowing needs, there was a lack of guidance in the kitchen for staff to follow.

⚠ At the last inspection, staff did not have clear care plan guidance on how to support people. The provider gave inspectors an example of a 'dummy care plan'. However, this example document lacked guidance on what information would be within care plans to ensure staff had clear guidance to follow. …

⚠ The provider was not able to provide a clear list of employed staff names, their recruitment details or what training they had received. We were therefore not assured that people living at Ashdale Care Home would be supported by suitable staff.

⚠ The provider did not have a clear action plan to describe what their ongoing plans were. This is because the action plan did not have expected completion dates, or which staff member would be responsible for taking the planned action. We were therefore not assured that there was a clear …

⚠ Clear governance structures had not been implemented. For example, we were told that people would be weighed weekly. However, there was no clear documentation on how this would be effectively implemented and reviewed. We were therefore not assured that people's weight loss would be effectively overseen.

⚠ There was no registered manager in place. The previous registered manager had left the role in June 2023. It is a legal requirement for Ashdale Care Home to have a registered manager in place, as they are legally accountable for the running of the service.

⚠ Following the inspection, we were advised that the management structure would change. We were sent a new planned organisational structure chart. This did not provide us with sufficient assurances, as there were 3 vacancies in this chart and no clarity on when this managerial change would occur.

⚠ At the last inspection, the principles of the mental capacity act were not followed. At this inspection, documentation had not changed, and a member of the management team advised that similar processes would be followed. This meant we were not assured improvements in the MCA would be effectively implemented.