Amberley Court Care Home

Updated 24 May 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 completed by an inspector, an assistant inspector and a nurse specialist.

Service and service type

Amberley Court 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 Court 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 the manager in post had applied for their registration and had been through the application process. At the end of the inspection, they were formally notified they were successful in their application as registered manager. They will therefore be referred to as the ‘registered manager’ in this report.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service. 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 9 people who were living at Amberley Court Care Home and 1 relative of a person residing there. We spoke with 12 staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, nursing staff, care staff, head chef, the maintenance technician, housekeeping and activity staff. We reviewed a range of records. These included 8 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. We also spoke with 2 professionals who work regularly with the service. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Updated 24 May 2023

About the service

Amberley Court Care Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 62 people. The service provides support to younger and older adults and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 42 people using the service

Amberley Court Care Home accommodates people across 2 floors of the purpose-built building. People had access to lounges, a dining area as well as an enclosed shared garden. The service was going through a number of refurbishments to improve the living environment for people.

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

People were supported by safely recruited staff who had received training in how to support them safely and effectively. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to report and act on any accidents and incidents that took place in the home. People were supported to receive their medication as prescribed by their doctor.

People’s physical and mental health needs were assessed on admission and care plans put in place which provided staff with the information they needed to meet people’s needs and support them in the manner they wished to be supported. People were offered choices at mealtimes and when feedback was received regarding menu choices, people’s views were taken on board and actions were taken.

People were supported to access a variety of healthcare services to assist them in maintaining good health.

Staff presented as kind and caring and respected people’s privacy and dignity. People were involved in the planning of their care and their views of the service were sought.

People were supported by staff who knew about their individual needs and preferences. Activity co-ordinators were in place to support people to take part in activities that were of interest to them and to access the community. Further work was underway to gather more details about what people would like to do and how the service could support them to enjoy those activities.

Plans were in place for a major refurbishment of the home and people were involved in the process and excited to see the changes that were planned to take place.

Staff felt well supported and were complimentary of the new registered manager and the deputy. There were a variety of quality audits in place to provide the registered manager with oversight of the service. The service continued to work alongside a variety of healthcare professionals in order

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 19 March 2020) 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

The inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

Follow up

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