Archived: Amerind Grove Care Home

Updated 12 January 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two Inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

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

Registered manager

The home 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 inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed all of the information available to us, including any information of concern, notifications and the provider information return (PIR). 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, regional quality improvement lead, clinical lead, six staff, nine people who lived at the home and one relative. We observed how staff interacted with people. We considered all this information to help us to make a judgement about the home. We looked at a range of records. This included people’s care records, risk assessments, maintenance records, meeting minutes and quality assurance records.

Updated 12 January 2023

Amerind Grove Care Home provides personal and nursing care for up to 169 people. At the time of the inspection, 45 people were living at the home.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

The provider had announced before this inspection that they would be closing. People and their relatives were being supported to find other homes that could meet people’s needs. Some people had already started to move to other homes.

People living at Amerind Grove Care Home told us they received safe care.

People’s care records specified whether people needed staff to support them to change their position regularly. However, the positional change charts in place did not always show that people had their position changed in line with the guidance recorded in care records. The care records for a person with a pressure sore contained a photograph of their wound. However, there was nothing documented on the photo to confirm it was the person, or the date the photograph was taken. Additionally, there was no measuring tool in the photograph. This meant it was difficult to assess the actual dimensions of the wound which would help the staff to monitor healing.

People were protected from abuse by staff who understood how to identify and report any concerns. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. There were enough staff on duty and staff were recruited safely.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the home. However, we did identify some shortfalls with record keeping which we feedback at the inspection. This was in relation to medicines records, positional charts and wound care records.

The home was led by a registered manager, clinical lead and a wider management team. There was a clear management structure in place with some long-standing staff in post. The staff told us that morale at the home was low, since the provider had announced the closure of the home. It was evident the staff were committed to providing good care to people despite the challenges they faced. We were told by the provider that they were working closely with staff at the home to ensure that they were being supported during this difficult time.