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Ash HouseWalsall

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Rated:Requires ImprovementResidential

Ash House

161 Aston Road, Willenhall, WV13 3BY
07904873917
Care Type

Residential Care

Assessment date

7 April 2026

Provider

Pharos Care Limited

Beds

4 beds

About Ash House

Ash House, in Walsall, is a residential care home supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people, with 3 people using the service at the time of the assessment. The CQC rated it Requires Improvement overall, finding breaches around safe care and treatment and good governance. Incidents were not always followed up robustly, medicines management was inconsistent, and quality assurance systems had not reliably driven lasting improvements.

Inspectors observed staff interacting with people in a calm, kind and respectful way, and families described staff as caring and approachable, feeling able to raise concerns with management. Relatives said they were kept informed when incidents happened, though some found it occasionally hard to reach their family member by phone.

Source: CQC assessment, 18 June 2026

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesMental healthYounger adults

Fees and availability

We have not verified a current weekly fee for this home. Ask for a written quote based on the room and care needed, including any extra charges.

Check current vacancies, the admission assessment and visiting arrangements directly with the home.

Care and inspection details

Checked against the CQC register on 20 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.

Registered service
Care home service without nursing
Registered capacity
4 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked
Registered · WV13 3BY

Registered care categories

Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Learning disabilities; Mental health conditions.

These describe the registration. The home must assess whether it can meet the individual person's needs and whether a place is available.

CQC ratings in more detail

Overall rating shown by CQC: Requires Improvement.

Assessment published 18 June 2026. Assessment date recorded: 7 April 2026.

Read CQC's assessment overview

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 18 June 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of Assessment: 20 April 2025 to 23 April 2025. This assessment was carried out due to the service not been previously inspected.

Ash House is a residential care home providing support to people with a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of our inspection 3 people were in receipt of regulated activity.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’. This guidance supported judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choice, independence and access to local communities that most people take for granted.

The service was in breach of 2 legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance.

Professional guidance was not always embedded into practice, which meant people with a learning disability and/or autistic people were not consistently supported in line with their assessed needs. Incidents were not always followed up robustly, and there were delays in escalation, in complete records gaps, and limited evidence that learning from incidents was used to reduce future risks. This reduced assurance that people were supported safely and proactively, particularly where they relied on staff to recognise and respond to changes in their needs.

Medicines management systems were not always effective, as medication fridge temperatures were not consistently monitored within recommended ranges and there was not always clear evidence of timely action or escalation.

Governance and quality assurance systems were not always effective in identifying and addressing concerns. Although the provider completed audits at service and provider level, including an independent audit, these did not consistently result in sustained improvements, and previously identified issues had not been fully resolved at the time of inspection.

Following feedback, the provider shared actions taken, including increased management oversight and additional monitoring arrangements. However, these measures had been recently introduced and were not yet embedded, so we could not be assured that governance systems were effective at the time of inspection.

However, staff and relatives spoke positively about the leadership and management of the service and told us they felt supported and were able to raise concerns. The management team were responsive during the inspection and feedback process.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

Safe
Requires Improvement
Effective
Requires Improvement
Caring
Good
Responsive
Requires Improvement
Well-led
Requires Improvement

Questions prompted by these ratings

  • Safe: What changes have been made to medicines, staffing and safeguarding since this rating?
  • Effective: How are staff training, nutrition and health outcomes checked now?
  • Responsive: How are care plans, activities and complaints adapted to each resident?
  • Well-led: What has changed in management, checks and oversight since this rating?

These are questions for your visit, not a claim about conditions today.

Read Ash House's CQC record and reports.

Contains Care Quality Commission information under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings and registration details can change after the date checked.

5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit

When visiting Ash House, consider asking...

  1. 1.What happens if my relative's care needs increase significantly -- will they have to move?
  2. 2.How do you handle concerns or complaints from families?
  3. 3.What does the monthly fee cover and what will cost extra?
  4. 4.How do you keep families informed about their relative's day-to-day wellbeing?
  5. 5.What happens if my relative is unhappy here?

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit Ash House, look out for...

  1. 1.Do staff greet residents by name and stop to chat?
  2. 2.Are residents dressed, up and occupied, or sitting alone in front of a TV?
  3. 3.Does the home smell fresh and feel clean without being clinical?
  4. 4.Do residents look comfortable and at ease, or anxious and withdrawn?
  5. 5.Does the manager answer your questions openly or deflect?

Could the NHS fund Ash House's fees?

The average nursing home costs £1,535 per week. That's £79,820 a year. NHS Continuing Healthcare could cover all of it. No means test, no contribution from you.

Location

161 Aston Road, Willenhall, WV13 3BY

CQC Logo

Ash House

CQC overall rating

Requires Improvement

Assessment date: 7 April 2026

View full inspection report
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