- Care home
Amber Lodge Nursing Home
Assessment report published 11 July 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 3 to 11 June 2025. This service is a care home providing personal and nursing care for adults of all ages, some who may be living with dementia or physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection 37 people lived at Amber Lodge Nursing Home.
We found 2 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to people’s safe care and treatment and good governance.
Not all incidents were reported so they could be reviewed and not all risks in the environment, including infection prevention and control had been reduced. Staff did not always follow the good practice principles for safe care in relation to transferring people in hoists and assisting people with texture modified diets. Some people did not think there were always enough staff. Records lacked evidence to show medicines given ‘as and when required’ were given in line with the least restrictive principles however, we observed medicines were administered and managed safely on the day of the inspection. People felt safe living at Amber Lodge Nursing Home, and they received support from other health and care services that they needed.
We were not assured people were prompted to drink enough fluids and records for people’s fluid and diet intake were not always accurate. Care plans and risk assessments were not always upto date and did not always contain all relevant information. Aspects of people’s care and treatment were not always monitored. However, people were asked for their consent and could choose from a variety of meal options. Their weight was monitored to ensure they maintained a healthy weight. The staff team worked well together and supported people to live healthier lives.
Information was known on people’s life histories, preferences and communication needs. People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion and staff respected their privacy and responded to people’s immediate needs. Staff were positive about the support they received from the leadership team. However, not everyone felt happy with how people were supported to maintain their personal appearance. People told us their choices were sometimes affected by whether staff were available to help them.
People’s communication needs were known, and they received the services they needed from other health and social care organisations. People and staff were asked for their views on the quality and safety of the service and their feedback was listened to. Their home was accessible and adapted to their healthcare needs. Advance care planning was in place to help ensure people’s needs would be met in the future. People told us the availability of staff sometimes affected whether they received person-centred care.
The provider was actively implementing a range of improvements across staff training, care planning, the care environment and management systems. They were focussed on continuous learning and improvement. The leadership team were viewed as caring and capable and staff felt respected and confident to raise any concerns should they need to. They worked with other health and social care professionals and incorporated their feedback into on-going improvement plans. However, the provider did not yet have fully embedded clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always have a comprehensive overview on information about risk, performance and outcomes.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/ or appeals have been concluded.
People's experience of this service
Some people did not feel comfortable when they were transferred with a hoist. Some people did not think there were always enough staff and that they needed more training. They felt their choices and their care were sometimes delayed depending on the availability of staff.
However, people felt safe living at Amber Lodge Nursing Home and a relative described the atmosphere as, ‘Warm and homely.’ They felt things had improved with the new leadership team and any complaints were resolved. People received support from other health and care services that they needed. They felt their home was kept fairly clean and commented they had seen some improvements in the cleanliness of toilets. They told us staff knocked on their door to help respect their privacy and they were happy with the laundry service provided.