Amber View Care Home

Updated 9 November 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.

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 team comprised of one inspector, a specialist advisor social worker 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 View 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. Amber View Care Home 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

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 28 September 2022 and ended on 3 October 2022. We visited the location’s service on these dates. Our Expert by Experience sought feedback from people’s relatives via telephone on 30 September 2022.

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, the local clinical commissioning group, local GP services, and from Healthwatch about the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 10 June 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and observed how care and support was given generally. We got feedback from eight relatives and five care staff. We spoke with the registered manager, home manager, deputy manager, and the provider's nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We looked at a range of records including all or part of eight people's care records and how medicines were managed for people. We looked at staff training, and the provider's quality auditing system. During the inspection visit we asked the provider to give us additional evidence about how the service was managed, which they sent to us. We also received feedback from five health and social care professionals.

Updated 9 November 2022

About the service

Amber View Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 22 people. The service provides support to younger and older people living with dementia, people with mental health needs and people with physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service. Amber View Care Home accommodates up to 22 people in one adapted building.

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

Medicines were not consistently stored safely. However, there was a robust system in place to ensure people were offered their medication as prescribed. Staff were not consistently following current guidance in relation to preventing and controlling infection. However, the service was clean and well-maintained. The provider had not consistently ensured consent to care was sought in line with legal requirements.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff knew about risks associated with people’s health conditions and understood how to provide care which kept people safe. Risks associated with the service environment were assessed and mitigated. There were enough staff to keep people safe. Accidents and incidents affecting people’s safety were managed well.

People and relatives spoke positively about staff skills and experience. People told us the quality and variety of the food was good. People's needs and choices were assessed in line with current legislation and guidance in a way that helped to prevent discrimination and followed best practice guidance. People were supported by staff to access healthcare services when required. The provider had taken steps to ensure the environment was suitable for people's needs, and there were adaptations for people with mobility needs.

People and relatives spoke positively about the staff team. People said they were able to say how they wanted to be cared for. Relatives felt they were kept informed about their family member’s care. People said staff always treated them with respect, and relatives confirmed this. People were supported to maintain the relationships that were important to them.

People's needs were assessed prior to them moving to Amber View Care Home. Care plans were personalised and contained information about people's likes and dislikes. People's communication needs were clearly identified in their care plans; this helped staff understand how best to communicate with each person. People and relatives were generally positive about the support they had, to take part in activities both within the service and out in their local community. People and relatives felt any concerns or complaints would be dealt with. Any lessons learnt from complaints or concerns were shared with staff to improve the quality of care.

The service was well-led. The registered manager, provider and management team worked hard to instil a culture of good quality care. Staff spoke positively about the support they got to carry out their roles and told us they felt part of a big team all working together to improve people’s lives. The provider and registered manager undertook regular audits of all aspects of the service to review the quality of care. Regular feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff about the quality of the service. Feedback from health and social care professionals was positive regarding the quality of care people received.

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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and/or who are autistic.

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 15 March 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about a person’s care, and also because the location had not previously been inspected since being registered with us. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from the concerns received.

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.

Recommendations

We have made recommendations about medicines, infection prevention and control, and consent.

Follow up

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