- Care home
Watery Lane Cottage
Assessment report published 23 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment 30 July 2026 to 23 September 2026.
This was a responsive assessment to follow up on concerns raised about the service and to review the quality of care provided since the last CQC inspection completed under the previous provider in 2019.
Watery Lane Cottage is a care home providing personal care and nursing care for up to 3 people. The service supports people who are deafblind, and may have additional complex needs, including learning disabilities.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee how autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture is the statutory guidance which supports Care Quality Commission (CQC) to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
People were supported by caring staff who knew them well. We observed positive and respectful interactions throughout the assessment. Staff communicated effectively using people’s preferred communication methods, helping to create an inclusive environment. People were encouraged to take part in everyday activities such as preparing meals.
Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and were confident about reporting concerns to help keep people safe. Care and support plans detailed information about people’s communication needs, health conditions and support they required. Medicines were managed safely.
The provider reviewed incidents and discussed them during team meetings. However, systems for recording and evidencing learning from incidents were not yet fully embedded.
The home was clean, well maintained and free from unpleasant odours. While some high-risk actions identified through the provider’s fire risk assessment had not been completed, the provider acted during the assessment to address these concerns.
The provider had a range of audits in place to monitor quality and make improvements. However, these systems were not yet fully embedded and had not consistently identified or addressed all the issues we found during the assessment.
Staffing vacancies had at times impacted on continuity of support for both people using the service. This was because agency staff had not always been trained in British Sigh Language (BSL), resulting in regular staff often providing additional support to meet people’s communication needs.
Staff told us they received training needed for their roles. However, some deaf staff described difficulties accessing BSL interpreters for training sessions which meant deaf staff did not always have the same development opportunities as other staff.
External professionals spoke positively about the care and support provided by staff. However, some felt communication and sharing of information could be timelier.
Staff told us the service had experienced several management changes in recent years but were optimistic that the newly appointed registered manager would provide greater stability and continuity.
The service demonstrated the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture by promoting people’s choice, independence, wellbeing and inclusion within their local community.
People's experience of this service
One person told us they enjoyed living at the service and spoke positively about the opportunities available to them. They particularly enjoyed woodwork activities, visiting the local coffee shop, and attending music sessions. They also said they liked the food and enjoyed being involved in meal preparation.
Overall, relatives spoke positively about the service and felt their family members were safe, well cared for and supported by dedicated and caring staff. They described staff as warm, welcoming, respectful, and knowledgeable about people’s individual needs, particularly in relation to communication and specialist support for deafblind people. Relatives felt staff worked hard to ensure people were happy, involved in meaningful activities, and able to enjoy experiences that reflected their interests and preferences.
Relatives acknowledged there had been significant staff and management turnover which had affected consistency in care and communication. While one relative reported this had not impacted their family member’s wellbeing, they felt communication could be more consistent, particularly regarding appointments, outcomes, and general updates. However, they recognised that communication had improved recently, with increased family involvement newsletters, reports and engagement from the registered manager.