We spoke to relatives who said they felt listened to by the care staff but they were not confident that their voice was heard by management. One relative said, 'you just can't get through to them. I have raised things again and again and nothing happens." Another said that she had raised issues about her parent's diet on many occasions but with no satisfactory outcome. She said, 'your voice just isn't heard." One person told us, "It's just all little hiccups, but the little hiccups have a way of becoming big hiccups."Residents and their relatives spoke very positively about the care staff. One said 'the staff here are always very cheerful. Nothing is too much trouble for them. They are all ever so jolly.' Another said, 'It's the care staff who are holding the place together.'
Staff that we spoke with all had a good understanding of safeguarding issues. One member of staff said 'safeguarding is number one in this job.'
Residents that we spoke with said they felt safe at Amber Wood. One resident said 'the staff are very good. Nothing is too much trouble for them. They definitely make you feel safe living here.' Relatives also knew how to raise concerns. One relative told us that the new manager encouraged complaints and was very accessible if there was a problem.
People that we spoke with confirmed that residents' and relatives' meetings were now in place for them to provide feedback to the provider.
One member of staff said, 'the paperwork is better than it was but it is still very difficult to find things.'