A care home in Amersham has been told it 'requires improvement' following its most recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

The Croft, off Chestnut Lane is operated by Ambient Support Limited, received the rating after inspectors visited the site between May 7 and June 2, 2025.

The home provides residential care for older people, including individuals living with dementia.

Charging fees starting from £1,270.50 per week, according to information published on the provider's website.

Although some areas of the service were rated 'good', including effectiveness, caring, and responsiveness.

Concerns over safety and leadership led to the overall lower rating.

The Care Quality Commission highlighted several breaches of legal regulations, including issues around safe care and treatment, failure to notify authorities of certain incidents, and shortcomings in governance.

Inspectors noted that people were not routinely protected from potential harm and identified delays in mitigating risks.

Hygiene practices and medicine safety also fell short of expectations, with inspectors flagging poor hand hygiene and inadequate record-keeping.

It said: “People were at increased risk of infection due to poor hand hygiene. Safe medicine practices were not always promoted.

“Records were not always accurate or well-maintained. Governance systems had not identified or addressed areas for improvement. The service failed to notify us of incidents which they were required to.

“The provider failed to ensure they were always open and transparent when things went wrong or people were harmed.”

The home, which comprises four residential units each with its own lounge and dining area, was previously rated "good" in 2019.

When asked about the service residents and their families largely reported feeling safe and cared for.

Comments from residents included: “It is nice here, they [staff] are usually very good, one or two are wonderful, they look after me”, “Here, it is home from home and I am not just saying that for form’s sake”.

This was supported by what relatives told inspectors. Comments included, “There has been a huge improvement in [family member’s] health, she is much better now”. “I haven’t seen any cruelty or behaviours here that would cause me a problem”.

However, staffing emerged as a consistent concern among both residents and relatives, particularly the use of agency staff and recent changes in shift patterns.

“People and their relatives were critical of staffing at The Croft. Commentary was provided about the high use of agency staff,” it said in the report.

The CQC has requested an action plan from Ambient Support Limited to address the issues raised.

The Croft has been given time to make improvements and will be subject to follow-up assessments to ensure standards are brought back into compliance.

The Croft has been approached for comment.