Outstanding! National care inspectors give Purley care home the highest rating

 A national care watchdog has given a Purley care home its seal of approval – rating it ‘outstanding’, with relatives and residents praising the home’s caring and attentive team members. 

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has awarded Care UK’s Amberley Lodge, on Downlands Road, ‘outstanding’ following an unannounced inspection. 

The care home was rated ‘outstanding’ in three of the five inspection categories, including care, responsiveness, and overall management of the home. The home received a ‘good’ rating in the safety and effectiveness categories. 

The report highlighted the outstanding level of care and support that residents receive each day, noting team members were “exceptionally kind and caring and demonstrated a real empathy and understanding of people with dementia” during their visit.  

Inspectors went on to praise how the team “knew people really well and supported them to follow their interests, including those related to their spiritual beliefs”. A resident also agreed, saying: “It’s like a large caring family, most of the staff have been here ages and they know us really well.”

The inspectors were impressed with the way the team listened to and acted on feedback from residents and other team members. The report highlighted how any feedback received was used to develop and improve the home, which in turn, helped team members share the overall vision for the home, resulting in a “strong, visible person-centred culture”. 

Inspectors also praised how the home keeps a record of resident’s preferences and life stories, which they note have a positive impact on the relationships team members build with the residents. The team told inspectors, the records “helped to establish good trusting relationships with residents and their families”, with one team member adding “it’s helpful to have an understanding of people’s backgrounds and histories because it gives us so much more to work with.”

The report also found that Amberley Lodge prides itself on promoting the autonomy of residents by giving them maximum choice and control of their lives in the least restrictive way possible. Inspectors praised how team members “encouraged people to maintain their independence, choice and control as far as possible”, in relation to meals, activities, and events. 

Residents’ relatives also spoke highly of the care home, with one commenting: “I would not want my relative to be anywhere else. If they have to be cared for in a home, this is the one for them.” One relative praised the home’s team retention, telling inspectors: “The team here is so stable and have been working here for a long time. This enables both people and staff to get to know each other, develop trust as well as understanding people’s needs really well.”

Azalea Moses, Home Manager at Amberley Lodge, said: “I am incredibly proud of everyone here at Amberley Lodge, and to lead such a fantastic, caring, and dedicated team. Our ‘outstanding’ overall rating is testament to everyone’s hard work and the superb level of quality care we provide residents each and every day.

“We are committed to ensuring all residents receive a unique and personalised approach to care, in a respectful and loving manner. Our ethos is to help residents to continue to live active and fulfilling lives and this remains at the forefront of everything we do.

“As we look forward to celebrating our 25^th birthday in July with the local community, this ‘outstanding’ result is the cherry on top of our birthday cake! We are all so pleased to have received this official recognition from the national inspectors and look forward to celebrating with the residents.”

To assess service standards at Amberley Lodge, the CQC inspectors spoke with team members and residents, and their relatives following the inspection. They also reviewed records and procedures already in place at the care home.

Amberley Lodge has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, as well as respite, and end of life care.