CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Amber Lodge Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Amber Lodge Nursing Home was inspected but not rated; infection controls were largely in place, but some equipment was dirty and COVID-19 isolation rules were not followed.
Inspectors carried out an unannounced, targeted inspection on 18 January 2022. They looked at infection prevention and control during a COVID-19 outbreak, and asked about staffing pressures.
They found several positive measures. Visitors were given protective equipment and asked to take tests. Staff used protective equipment correctly. People were tested before admission, and the home had testing, vaccination and outbreak arrangements in place.
There were two shortfalls. Some equipment was dirty, although communal areas were clean. People with confirmed COVID-19 had bedroom doors open and there were no signs showing that extra isolation precautions were in place. The provider agreed to address both points immediately.
The service was inspected but not rated. This was a focused check of infection control, not a full assessment of the overall quality of care.
Protective equipment
Visitors were given protective equipment, and inspectors saw staff wearing it correctly. The home also had hand-washing facilities and protective equipment stations.
“Staff were observed wearing correct personal protective equipment (PPE).” from the report
Testing and admissions
People were tested before admission. People and staff had access to COVID-19 testing, and people with symptoms were tested immediately.
“People were admitted into the service safely.” from the report
Keeping families in touch
During the outbreak, staff helped people stay in contact with loved ones through phone calls and window visits.
“During the active COVID-19 outbreak staff supported people to maintain contact with their loved ones via phone calls and window visits.” from the report
Vaccination checks
The home checked vaccination status for visiting health professionals and met the requirement for non-exempt staff and visiting professionals.
“The service was meeting the requirement to ensure non-exempt staff and visiting professionals were vaccinated against COVID-19.” from the report
Dirty equipment
needs fixingCommunal areas were clean, but inspectors found some dirty equipment. The provider agreed to check all equipment.
“Whilst the communal areas of the home were clean, we found some equipment was dirty.” from the report
COVID-19 isolation
needs fixingThe home did not follow its own policy for isolating people with COVID-19. Bedroom doors were open and there were no signs showing that extra precautions were in place.
“People with confirmed COVID-19 had their bedroom doors open and there were no signs on the entrance of their rooms regarding barrier nursing.” from the report
- 01How did you check all equipment after inspectors found some of it was dirty, and how often are these checks now completed?
- 02What is your current process for isolating people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19?
- 03How do you make sure bedroom doors and isolation signs follow your infection prevention policy?
- 04How are visitors and health professionals currently tested and checked before entering the home?
- 05How would you help a resident keep in contact with family during an infection outbreak?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated for the overall quality of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 February 2022 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 Amber Lodge Nursing Home
5 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- January 2020Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- July 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 March 2021.
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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