CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Amberley House Care Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Amberley House Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and safe arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 3 February 2021. It looked at infection prevention and control measures during the coronavirus pandemic, rather than the home’s full range of care.
Inspectors found good practice. Staff used protective equipment correctly, supplies were available, testing was carried out, and people moving into the home or returning from hospital were isolated for two weeks.
The home was clean and well maintained. It had arrangements for safer visiting when visits were allowed, and people were supported to keep in touch with relatives by telephone and video calls.
The home was not given an overall quality rating. The Safe question was inspected but not rated, so this report does not say whether the home is Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate overall.
PPE and infection control
Staff used PPE appropriately and had received training in PPE, infection control and COVID-19. Supplies were readily available.
“Staff were using personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately during our inspection.” from the report
Clean premises
The home was clean and maintained, with regular cleaning of high-contact areas and updated infection control procedures.
“The service was clean and well maintained.” from the report
Keeping in touch
The home had arrangements for safer visits when visits were permitted and supported people to contact relatives by telephone and video calls.
“People were regularly supported to make video and telephone calls to friends and family.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection prevention and control arrangements are in place now, and how do they differ from those inspected in February 2021?
- 02How are visits currently arranged, including visits for people receiving end-of-life care?
- 03How are new admissions and people returning from hospital cared for during any required isolation period?
- 04How often are staff and residents tested, and what happens if there is a suspected infection outbreak?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, recorded under Safe; the service was not given an overall rating and the other questions were not inspected. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 March 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, November 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some staff supervision and record-keeping still needing attention.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 23 October 2018. Inspectors observed care, checked the building and records, and spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. At the time, 20 people were living there, and the home provided nursing or personal care for up to 26 adults.
Inspectors rated all five areas Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. They found enough suitably qualified staff, safe medicines arrangements, personalised care plans, kind interactions and good support with healthcare, food, activities and family contact.
There were some areas to improve. Some staff supervisions were overdue, some behaviour-monitoring charts did not record enough detail about staff responses, and refurbishment work was still taking place. The home had identified these issues and had plans to address them.
Personalised care
Care plans described people's needs, preferences and routines in detail. Staff knew people well and used this information to provide consistent support.
“People's care plans were personalised to the individual and gave clear details about each person's specific needs and how they liked to be supported.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw patient and discreet care. People appeared comfortable with staff and were able to ask for help without hesitation.
“Staff were patient and discreet when providing care for people.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
There were enough skilled staff on duty, and people said call bells were answered quickly. Medicines were administered by trained staff and records were completed properly.
“People were supported to take their medicines at the right time by staff who had been appropriately trained.” from the report
Choice and involvement
People were supported to make choices about their daily lives, meals and routines. People and families could contribute to care decisions and meetings about the home.
“People were able to make choices about their daily lives.” from the report
Activities and family contact
The home offered group and one-to-one activities, including events, games, entertainers and trips. Relatives could visit at any time.
“People had access to a range of group and individual activities.” from the report
Overdue staff supervision
needs fixingSome planned one-to-one supervision meetings for staff were overdue. The home had identified this and planned to complete them within four weeks.
“Planned supervisions for some staff had fallen behind and were overdue.” from the report
Incomplete behaviour records
needs fixingSome charts recording incidents did not explain fully what action staff took. The manager said record-keeping would be improved.
“Some charts lacked detail about the action staff had taken to respond to incidents.” from the report
Refurbishment still under way
minorSome parts of the building needed upgrading or redecorating when inspectors visited. Work was ongoing, although inspectors said disruption had been managed well.
“Some areas of the premises needed to be upgraded or re-decorated.” from the report
- 01Have all overdue staff supervisions now been completed, and how are future supervisions monitored?
- 02How do you make sure behaviour-monitoring charts record the action staff took after an incident?
- 03Has all the planned refurbishment and upgrading of bedrooms, corridors and bathrooms been completed?
- 04How many staff and nurses are normally on duty during each shift, and how is this adjusted when people's needs change?
- 05How are people and families involved when care plans are reviewed or people's needs change?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, including the premises and care provided; it was the first inspection since the home re-registered as a new legal entity in November 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 November 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 Amberley House Care Home
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2018GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 November 2017.
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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10 live-in carers within about two hours of Cornwall
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,200 a week. 8 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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