Ashwood Court rated 'good' by CQC

Ashwood Court in Lowton, was praised not only for safeguarding patients and residents and protecting their dignity, but also for how they were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives.

Residents spoke warmly about the settings and staff, saying: "I like the staff. I feel well cared for, "The staff are very, very good. They are absolutely marvellous; they pull out all the stops. They are supportive and brighten up the lives of others" and "You don't need to have concerns about here. We are all safe and well cared for."

The report went on to say that staff felt well supported and commented on the positive working atmosphere.

"The training is very good. More than enough training to do our role," said one who was quoted anonymously in the report, whilst another said "It's the nicest place I have ever worked. It's a home, a proper family home. I would have no hesitation to have my family member live here."

Ashwood Court, consists of two separate facilities- a 10-bed community rehabilitation unit for men and women with severe mental illness and a purpose built, one-storey residential home for 17 people with a mental health diagnosis.

Ashwood Court was last inspected in 2016 and assessors said it had improved on its high standards of care.

Judith Oakes has been the registered manager of both settings for 18 months and has been a registered mental nurse (RMN) for 30 years. She said: "The report praised our high staff morale and the positive knock-on effect this has for both patients in our hospital building and residents of the next door residential home.

"The CQC has raised its standards this year, so to be rated as 'good' again shows we have actually improved our standards of care.

"Continuous improvement is very important to me as registered manager, whether this is increasing the education and training of our staff, the activities available to the people we look after or the physical environment where they live."

Rachel Peacock, Making Space CEO, said: "This is well deserved recognition of the dedication of the whole team at Ashwood Court, who are committed and caring in all that they do. CQC leaders talk about the 'mum' test as a benchmark for care. Judith and her team pass this test every day and should be very proud of this report. I certainly am hugely proud of them all."

Find out more about Ashwood Court here.