CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Amathea
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, April 2021
Amathea was inspected but not rated; inspectors found robust infection prevention and control arrangements.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 12 March 2021. It looked at how the home prevented and controlled infection during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors found strong arrangements for visitors, testing, isolation, personal protective equipment and cleaning. People were supported to keep in touch with relatives, including through technology and safe visits.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give an overall rating or ratings for the other care areas.
Visitor safety
Visitors had checks before entering, including temperature checks and rapid Covid-19 testing. Visits were arranged in a suitable safe space.
“Prior to anyone entering the building a range of checks were completed including taking temperatures and the use of a rapid lateral flow test (LFT) for Covid-19.” from the report
Support during isolation
People who needed to isolate were supported in designated rooms by a dedicated staff team.
“People who required isolating were supported in designated rooms in a designated area of the building.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home clean and hygienic. A designated cleaning team and cleanliness audits were in place.
“The home was clean and hygienic. There was a designated cleaning staff team and audits on cleanliness and infection prevention and control were completed.” from the report
Safe admissions
New residents had a negative Covid-19 test before moving in and were supported to isolate in line with guidance.
“People received a negative COVID-19 test result before they moved into the home and were supported to self-isolate in their rooms in line with current guidance and recommended practices.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors currently checked before entering the home?
- 02How are people supported if they need to isolate, and which staff team provides that support?
- 03How often are residents and staff tested for Covid-19?
- 04How do you check that cleaning and infection control standards remain effective?
- 05How will I be supported to visit or keep in touch with my relative if visiting arrangements change?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; it was not a full inspection and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 April 2021 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, August 2018
Amathea was rated Good; inspectors found clear improvements, with some medicines and records checks still needed.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 7 June 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines, staff files, safety records and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safer recruitment, respectful care, suitable training, regular reviews and activities that people could choose.
The home had improved since the previous inspection in 2017. Earlier breaches and recommendations had been acted on, and the inspectors found the home was meeting the fundamental standards of quality and safety.
Inspectors recommended clearer written instructions for medicines given when needed. They also found some inaccuracies in DNACPR records and said some work remained on the new care records.
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough care workers to respond quickly. Staff were visible and call bells were answered promptly.
“At this inspection we saw there were sufficient care workers on duty to respond quickly to people's needs and requests.” from the report
Respectful care
Staff were observed having warm, meaningful conversations and protecting people's privacy and dignity.
“We observed animated and meaningful conversations between staff and people living in and visiting the home.” from the report
Improved mealtimes
Mealtimes had been changed to make them calmer and better suited to people's needs. People received help with eating and drinking when required.
“At this inspection we observed a significant improvement in the dining experience.” from the report
Activities and independence
People could take part in activities and social events, go out, use outdoor areas and maintain important relationships.
“We saw people could engage in activities of their choice.” from the report
Better management
The report says the provider and manager had acted on earlier concerns. Quality and safety were monitored through audits, reviews and meetings.
“At this inspection we found that the provider and registered manager, who had been appointed after the last inspection, had acted on those breaches and recommendations.” from the report
As-needed medicines
needs fixingSome written instructions for PRN, or as-needed, medicines did not explain clearly enough when they should be used. The inspectors made a recommendation rather than recording a breach.
“However, instructions around making the best use of some PRN medications had not always been recorded.” from the report
DNACPR records
needs fixingSome DNACPR records completed by health professionals were not accurate. The manager took action during the inspection, but families should check how this was resolved.
“However, we also found that completion of records by other health professionals for Do Not Attempt Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) had not always been completed accurately” from the report
Care record updates
minorThe new care record system had improved accuracy, but inspectors said it was not fully implemented yet.
“Although we saw some works was still to be done in the implementation of these new records a full audit of people's needs had taken place.” from the report
- 01What written protocols are now in place for each person's PRN or as-needed medicine?
- 02How do you check that PRN medicines are being given for the right reason and recorded correctly?
- 03What action was taken to correct the inaccurate DNACPR records, and how are these records checked now?
- 04How do you make sure the new care plans remain accurate when a person's needs change?
- 05How will my relative and our family be involved in care reviews and decisions about treatment?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, including the care provided and the home environment. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 August 2018 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Amathea
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 November 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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