Symonds House

Updated 2 September 2025

Symonds House is a residential care service that provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 58 people. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people living at the service.

We carried out this inspection to follow up on concerns. This was prompted by a high number of complaints and the significant time that has passed since our last rated inspection in 2017.

At our last inspection the service was rated good.

The assessment was unannounced and was carried out by 3 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.

The assessment started on 16 September 2025 and ended on 14 October 2025. We gathered information from people who used the service, family members, the registered manager and care staff working at the service. We undertook a comprehensive assessment looking at all the quality statements.

During the inspection, we spoke with 11 people who use the service, 15 family members, the registered manager, deputy manager, the provider and 8 members of staff.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We reviewed a range of records. This included people’s care and medicine records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

However, the governance at the service needed some improvement as the issues we found had not been identified during their own auditing processes. For example, records relating to accidents and incidents not being reported. Additional information was required to ensure that risks to people had been fully assessed and mitigated.

Staff protected people’s dignity and privacy and showed compassion and kindness when supporting them in all aspects of their care.

Management and staff had a shared vision. There was a culture of continued improvement. Staff were encouraged to try new ideas.

Updated 2 September 2025

People and their family members spoke positively about the care and support provided. They told us they felt safe. A relative told us, “I do feel she is safe here. There is always someone popping in and people walk past here all the time so they can see what she is doing.” Another relative said, “[Family Member] is fine, they don’t have any concerns and neither do we.”

Information gained from the assessment prior to people being admitted into the service was used in the development of a personalised care plan. These plans were regularly reviewed and were usually updated to reflect any changes.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Call bells were responded in a timely way.

People had access to a variety of activities, promoting social engagement, well being and enjoyment. Families and friends were able to freely visit people at the service and were offered hospitality on arrival.