Luxury Melton care home transforms its quality rating

Managers at a Melton luxury care home have succeeding in transforming standards, an inspection team has found.

The Amwell, which was built on Asfordby Road at a cost of £6million, has been given a number of damning Care Quality Commission reviews in recent years, the previous of which last June concluded that it ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors had previously found that the home, which has capacity for 88 people, was ‘inadequate’ and that residents were not properly safeguarded from the risk of harm.

Whistleblowing concerns were raised about infection prevention and neglect at the home and a previous inspection also unearthed a number of ‘avoidable incidents’, including 24 occasions where one resident physically and sexually assaulted other people at the home and staff.

But the latest report, compiled in July and published recently, states the home, which is for people aged over 65 living with physical disabilities and conditions such as dementia, was rated ‘good’ overall and that it was safe and well-led.

The CQC report findings states: "At this inspection the rating has changed to good.

"This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

“Changes had been made to the management of medicines and systems were now established.

"Observations at meal times showed improvements had been made and staff were working well together to ensure people were receiving safe care.”

Inspectors found that the service ‘was consistently managed and well-led’.

"Systems and processes were now firmly embedded at the service when previously they had not been,” the report continued.

“A permanent registered manager was also in post which had created consistency amongst the staffing group.”

Inspectors said there were 45 people living there at the time of the inspection.

They also commented: “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.”

The Amwell was opened to great fanfare in 2017 by health and fitness guru, Rosemary Conley.

It has three floors and residents can use a shared bistro, gym, salon, cinema and garden area.

Each person has their own bedroom and en-suite bathroom with a communal dining room and lounge area on each floor.