Archived: Amberley Nursing Home

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

All of the relatives we spoke with told us that the provider's staff cared for people in a safe and effective way.

The provider had effective systems to identify and manage risks to people's health, safety and welfare and to make improvements where required.

Effective recruitment procedures were in place to ensure that staff appointed were suitably qualified and experienced and were of good character.

Procedures for dealing with emergencies were in place and staff understood these.

Procedures were in place to ensure people received a diet that was suitable for their individual nutritional requirements.

Is the service effective?

People's care needs were properly assessed before they received care, which was delivered in line with their individual care plan. People's care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure their needs were being met.

People's relatives were happy with the standard of care provided and they told us that care was designed and delivered to meet people's individual needs.

Is the service caring?

Three people's relatives we spoke with were positive about the care provided. Their comments included, 'The staff are brilliant'. 'I have been extremely pleased ever since they were first admitted'. 'Staff are patient and support my relative very well'.

People's relatives also told us that they thought the staff treated people with respect and promoted their dignity.

Staff understood people's needs and we saw they interacted with people in a caring and respectful manner.

Is the service responsive?

The provider informed people about how to complain and people's relatives we spoke with said they knew how to do this. They also told us they were happy with people's care and had not needed to complain. Records we looked at reflected this.

The service had recorded the details of accidents and incidents that had occurred. These had been investigated and the cause of the issues identified. Service improvement actions plans had been put in place. However, the details relating to accidents and incidents had not been collated. This meant that the opportunity to identify emerging trends had been lost.

People's relatives told us that they thought the provider was responsive.

Is the service well-led?

A registered manager was in place.

The provider had an effective system in place to check the quality of care provided. Records showed that regular checks were carried out to identify and manage risks to people's health, safety and welfare. Where improvements were needed, action plans had been put in place to deal with them.

The service worked well with other health and social care professionals to make sure people received the care they needed.

The people who live at Amberley Nursing Home had learning disabilities, and many were unable to answer questions or provide us with their views about living at the home. As a result we carried out a Short Observational Framework for Inspection (a SOFI) during this inspection visit. This involved a structured observation for a period of 45 minutes in the communal lounge. This enabled us to observe how the staff spoke with people who lived at the home, and how they offered help and support. Our observations showed that people were treated with respect, and that staff had good relationships with the people who lived at the care home. We saw that staff were making efforts to break down communication barriers and involve people in their daily lives.

We found that staff were well supported and there were good training opportunities available. The records showed that staff were well trained and had received the training related to their work and role that they should.

We also spoke with the registered manager and two members of staff, including a nurse. They said they liked working at Amberley Nursing Home, and they felt well supported.

As it was not possible to speak with all of the people using the service, we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We observed that people were supported by staff to make as many choices as possible regarding their daily activities, including at mealtimes and whilst doing activities.

We spoke with two people regarding the care they received at Amberley Nursing Home. One person told us 'I like it here, its best for me' and another person told us they liked living there.

We found that staff were not receiving regular supervision or training. This is important as it would ensure that people were being supported by staff that were able to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.