Thumbs up for care home in Spilsby that lets residents 'do what they want when they want'
A privately-run care home in Spilsby, where residents are trusted and encouraged to be independent, has been showered with praise by a watchdog.
Ashby Court, which looks after 11 people with learning disabilities or autism, was handed a rating of ‘Good’, both overall and in all five individual categories of its review after an inspection during the summer by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Those categories determined whether the home, which is one of seven run by the family-owned provider Boulevard Care Ltd, was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
The CQC report said: “Residents told us they could do what they wanted when they wanted and were empowered to make decisions.
“They told us staff respected their decisions, and they were supported to be independent and in control of their lives.
"Residents were supported to build confidence when going out in the community. Most liked going to a local club, where they met their friends and enjoyed activities.”
They were also looking forward to going on holiday together and were putting money aside for it.
The inspectors found that some residents were even trusted to administer their own medicines and to manage their own finances, “which had clear positive outcomes for their self-esteem and self-worth”.
Others were observed making their own choices, whether this be doing their laundry, relaxing in the garden or taking part in drawing sessions. The inspectors concluded: “People clearly felt ownership of where they lived, proudly showing us their homes and how they had decorated them.”
The CQC found that the registered manager at Ashby Court, Lucy Mathers, was considered to be “accessible and supportive”, and that staffing levels were good.
Residents felt that “qualified, skilled and experienced “staff were always there for them when needed, including at night. And the manager revealed that the home “does not use agency workers or share staff from other locations because residents require the consistency of a regular and familiar staff team”.
The report went on: “We observe residents relaxed and comfortable with staff. There was a friendly atmosphere of mutual respect where people had open conversations with staff they clearly knew well.”
The only area pinpointed for improvement by the CQC concerned risk assessments of residents, which “were not always carried out or did not contain enough information to enable consistent support”.