Amber House - Didcot

Updated 12 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 25/01/2022 and was announced. We gave the service two days’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 12 February 2022

About the service:

Amber House is a care home for up to six people who have been discharged from hospital and who require care, support and accommodation for mental health issues. At the time of our inspection three people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People continued to benefit from kind and committed staff. People complimented the support received and told us they formed meaningful, caring relationships with the staff. Staff knew what was important to people and ensured people had care that met their needs and choices. People's dignity, confidentiality and privacy were respected and their independence was promoted.

• People received support that met their needs and was in line with care plans and good practice. People's rights to make own decisions were respected. People were encouraged to maintain good diet and access health services when required.

• The registered manager ensured people received safe care and treatment. People complimented the continuity of care provided by skilled and competent staff. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Risks to people's well-being were assessed, recorded and updated when people's circumstances changed. The staff ensured any lessons learnt were reflected to improve the service delivery.

• The service was well run by the registered manager who was supported by a team of committed staff. The provider's quality assurance processes were effective and there was a focus on continuous improvement. Where an area for improvement had been identified there was a prompt action taken to address it.

• People, staff and relatives were involved and felt listened to. The team at Amber House worked well in partnership with other agencies, social and health professionals and external organisations.

More information is in the detailed findings below.

Rating at last inspection:

Good, report published 21 February 2017

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will monitor all intelligence received about the service to inform the assessment of the risk profile of the service and to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk