Amberley Care Home

Updated 20 April 2023

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.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. On the second day of inspection, 1 inspector visited the home.

Service and service type

Amberley Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Amberley Care Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post however, the manager was registered soon after this inspection.

Notice of inspection

The first day of inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 14 March 2023 and ended on 24 March 2023. We visited the service on 15 and 16 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 staff including the manager, deputy manager, clinical lead, administrator, 1 nurse, 1 team leader, 2 care staff, 1 hospitality staff and 1 member of the maintenance team. We spoke with 8 people and 3 relatives about their views of the care provided. We received feedback from 3 health and social care professionals involved with the home.

We reviewed the electronic care records for 5 people, sampled 8 medicines records, viewed records related to governance systems and other documentation relevant to the running of the service. Following the inspection, the manager continued to supply evidence relating to the management and oversight of the home.

Updated 20 April 2023

About the service

Amberley Care Home is a care home providing accommodation, personal and nursing care and the treatment of disease, disorder and injury. The service can support up to 72 older and younger people, living with dementia, mental health, physical disability and sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection there were 42 people living at Amberley Care Home.

The home is purpose built and provides care across 3 floors. At the time of this inspection the ground floor accommodated people mainly with nursing needs and the first floor was a residential unit for people with a diagnosis of dementia. The top floor of the home remained vacant.

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

Medicines were now managed safely, and competency assessments were carried out to monitor staff performance. Staff followed infection prevention and control guidance to minimise risks related to the spread of infection.

Risks to people were managed by staff following suitable risk assessments. Referrals were made to other services and health professionals when necessary. Systems were in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited safely. Conditions attached to Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS) authorisations were recognised, recorded in care plans and were being adhered to.

There was a new registered manager in post. They provided leadership to the team and promoted an open team culture. People, their relatives and staff spoke positively of the manager and the changes they had made in a short space of time. They had started the application process for registration with the Care Quality Commission and became the registered manager soon after this inspection. Staff said the registered manager was accessible and supportive. They confirmed they had seen improvements in the quality of the service provided to people and the morale of the team was higher.

Governance systems were in place to ensure oversight and monitoring of the home. The manager responded positively when we highlighted any concerns and recognised systems could be further improved. The manager was aware recent improvements needed to be fully embedded in staff practice and sustained.

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.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 12 December 2022) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 13 and 20 September 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found, and a Warning Notice was served. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and consent.

We undertook this focused inspection to check whether the Warning Notice we previously served in relation to Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met, to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Amberley Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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