Amberside

Updated 6 November 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and one assistant inspector.

Service and service type

Amberside is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care and support provided by staff. We spoke with five staff including the registered manager, a representative from the senior management team and five care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and eight medicine records. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, audits and surveys.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence we found. We looked at further training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 6 November 2019

About the service

Amberside is a care home providing care and support for up to 21 older people. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting nine people. Eight people were present on the day of the inspection and one person was in hospital. The service was newly registered in October 2017 and began admitting people in February 2018, following refurbishment works.

People's experience of using this service

We received positive feedback about the service and the care people received. People and professionals commented positively about the effectiveness and responsiveness of the support people received. There was evidence that people achieved good care outcomes and their comments about the service supported this.

Systems to ensure people were safeguarded from harm had improved. People were supported by staff who had been trained to identify and report concerns. People were safe because potential risks to their health and wellbeing had been mitigated and were being managed effectively. Staffing levels had been increased and there was enough staff to support people safely. People were supported to take their medicines. Lessons were learnt from incidents to prevent recurrence. Staff followed effective processes to prevent the spread of infections.

The registered manager and staff worked hard to ensure people received effective care to meet their needs. People were supported by staff who had completed the provider's mandatory training and additional training in relevant areas. Staff practice was supported by recognised good practice guidelines. People achieved good care outcomes as a result of the support provided by the service.

Staff had respectful, caring and friendly relationships with people they supported. Staff upheld people's dignity and privacy, and they promoted their independence.

People received personalised care and support which met their needs and reflected their

preferences.

There was a positive and open culture. Staff roles and responsibilities were clear, and staff were supported through regular supervision from the registered manager.

The provider’s quality monitoring processes had improved and now evidenced how they continually improve the service.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Inadequate (published 5 March 2019). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found enough improvement had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 11 December 2018. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.