Amber House

Updated 16 November 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.

Inspection team

This 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.

Service and service type

Amber House 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. Amber House is a care home without 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 1 November 2023 and ended on 2 November 2023. We visited the location’s service on 1 November 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed 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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 1 relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 9 members of staff including the registered manager, duty manager, senior care staff and care staff. We also spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care records and numerous medication administration records. We inspected 3 staff files in relation to their recruitment. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures, were also reviewed.

We inspected the environment and spent time observing interactions between people and staff, and infection prevention and control practices.

Updated 16 November 2023

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.

About the service

Amber House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 13 people with a learning disability and autistic people in 1 adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 11 people using the service.

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

Right Support: People were supported by a staff team that were committed to providing them with a good quality of life and to lead fulfilling lives. Personalised support plans gave clear information for staff to follow in keeping people safe, whilst enabling people to be as independent as possible. People were fully involved in managing personal risks and in taking decisions about how to keep safe. Staff were skilled in recognising signs when people experienced emotional distress and knew how to support people to keep them safe.

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.

Right Care: People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff were safely recruited and were knowledgeable about people's needs and wishes. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using the service led confident, inclusive and empowered lives. People were empowered to achieve their personal aspirations and positive outcomes from their care with staff support and guidance. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their wishes to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff respected people's rights, including the right to make unwise, informed choices and positive risk taking. People and, where appropriate, their relatives, were at the centre of their care and their voice was used to guide and inform how care and support should be provided.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 21 June 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and when the service was last inspected.

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.

This was a focused inspection and the report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, effective and well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

Follow up

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