Working at Ashleigh House
460 North Road, Darlington, DL1 3AF
Operated by Pathways Care Group Limited
30 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
3.5/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 10 February 2026
Score: 3.5/10
Key Finding
"Enough staff to meet needs and a supportive culture, but chaotic management without a permanent manager and no activities programme hold it back."
Safety & Risk
2/10
✕
Medicines were not always managed safely. Accidents and incidents and safeguarding notifications had not always been consistently recorded and reported.
Staff Culture
5/10
!
Staff told us they felt supported by the acting manager who had only been in post since August 2023. Staff told us they were keen to learn and drive improvement to ensure people received the best possible care.
Staffing Levels
5/10
!
Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people's needs and staff were recruited safely.
Training & Dev
3/10
✕
The provider's training matrix confirmed staff had received training to meet people's individual needs however we saw of the 4 staff on duty during our visit, 2 had out of date training in mental health awareness and 1 in safeguarding and medicines awareness additionally.
Management
2/10
✕
At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. The registered manager post had been vacant since October 2022. Staff said the last 6 months at the service had been 'chaotic' and 'a bad whirlwind' as several managers had come into the service then left.
Programmes
1/10
✕
There were no planned activities taking place and people said there was nothing much to do. During our inspection, people went to the shop with staff but there were no activities taking place in the home.
Points to consider
No permanent manager in place, and several have come and gone recently making things chaotic.
The registered manager post had been vacant since October 2022. Staff said the last 6 months had been 'chaotic' and 'a bad whirlwind' as several managers had come into the service then left.
Medication not handled safely with poor records and some outdated staff checks.
Medicines were not always managed safely. Detailed information had not been recorded to guide staff on when to administer medicines prescribed to be taken 'as required'. Some staff competencies were out of date.
No activities programme or coordinator, so the role is mostly routine personal care.
There were no planned activities taking place and people said there was nothing much to do.
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: December 2023
Requires improvement
Safe
!
Requires improvement
Effective
!
Requires improvement
Caring
!
Requires improvement
Responsive
!
Requires improvement
Management Quality
Well-led: Requires improvement
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- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
- PlainSight staff reviews