Amersham House

Updated 6 May 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The service also provides care and support to people living in one ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Registered manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, service manager and one care staff. We looked at three staff files including recruitment, supervision and training, one person’s medicines records, numerous auditing processes, fire safety of the supported living house, complaints, ways the service had of getting feedback from people and relatives, staff meetings and activities.

After the inspection

We spoke further with the registered manager and the service manager to validate information we had reviewed. We looked at two people’s care and support plans and risk assessments, training and supervision records, policies and procedures and pre-assessment records. We spoke with two more care staff and one relative. We also received email feedback from another relative.

Updated 6 May 2022

About the service

Amersham House provides care and support to people living in their own homes as well as one supported living accommodation for up to five people. The supported living accommodation comprised of a terrace house with a rear garden. Each person had their own bedroom and en-suite with their own toilet and shower. There was a large staff office at the rear of the house. The service worked with people living with a mental health condition. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting two people.

The service is also registered to provide care and support to people with a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of the inspection the service was not providing care to this group of people. However, when/if the service does start to provide care to this group of people; we expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and relatives told us they felt staff were kind, caring and supportive. There was a culture of empowering both people and staff to improve their experiences of care provided and working for the service.

People and relatives felt people were safe with the staff providing care. Staff had been trained in safeguarding and knew how to report any concerns. People received their medicines safely and on time. People’s known risks were assessed, and staff knew how to work with people to minimise risks. Staff were recruited safely, and appropriate checks were completed prior to staff starting work. Staff had been trained in infection control and current government guidance was being followed to keep people safe.

People received a comprehensive pre-assessment before starting to use the service. This ensured the service would be able to meet their care and support needs. Staff were supported through robust induction processes, supervision and regular training. This ensured staff were up to date with best practice. Where it was an identified need, people were supported around eating and drinking. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and were supported with all aspects of daily living. This included, shopping, cooking, cleaning, managing their mental health and medicines.

People’s care was planned with their full involvement. People’s care was person-centred, and staff knew people well. Care plans documented how people wanted to receive their care. People were supported with activities that were meaningful to them as individuals. There was a clear complaints process, people and relatives were given information on how to complain. Relatives told us they were confident about raising any concerns and that they would be dealt with.

There was an open and inclusive culture at the service. People were encouraged to be partners in planning their care and support. People, relatives and staff were complimentary of the registered manager and the support they received. The registered manager was approachable and made time to speak with people and staff. People and relatives were encouraged to give feedback on the service. There were regular staff meetings where staff were able to raise any queries or questions they had. People were involved through community meetings and were able to put forward ideas. Staff told us they felt they worked as a team and like a family.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 30 April 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was the first inspection of the service based on the date of registration.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.