- Care home
St Gregory's House Limited
Assessment report published 7 January 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 14 November to 2 December 2025. St Gregory’s House Limited is a care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 30 older people who may have nursing needs, physical disabilities and/or have dementia. At the time of this assessment there were 24 people living there.
We assessed the quality statements from all the key questions; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led and we found a breach of the regulation for good governance and the overall rating for this service has changed from good to requires improvement.
A variety of records for the safe care and treatment of people were not always accurate, current or recorded sufficiently. Records used for the management, oversight and safety of the service were not always effective. This included records for the management of medicines, accidents and incidents, assessments of risks relating to people’s care and the oversight of the quality and safety of the home.
There had been no registered manager or appointed clinical lead in post since July 2025. There was a newly formed management team consisting of a manager, team leader and office manager. They were being supported in their new positions by the nominated individual for the company who was also taking the role of head of care in the home. Along with them there was a deputy manager.
There were a range of quality monitoring and auditing processes in place. However, issues seen during this assessment had not always been identified through those oversight processes and systems. The management team took immediate action to improve those processes to ensure they captured and could rectify those areas of concern. The new management team was in place and demonstrated a positive, proactive approach. They showed insight and knowledge of where improvements were needing to be made. Staff told us they felt very supported by the management team and were able to report concerns and said they were listened to.
Staff were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. There were enough staff with the right qualifications and experience. Staff had received training and some supervision to support them in delivering safe and effective care. During the assessment we identified some concerns with the management of risks in the environment. These were addressed by the management team during the assessment. The home was clean, and processes were in place to manage infection prevention. People received their medicines on time and as they were prescribed.
Decisions were made in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity to do so themselves. However, these were not always accurately recorded or always completed in line with best practice. Some people and those important to them told us they had been involved in their care planning. People were appropriately supported with eating and drinking. The staff team worked well with other organisations and services to support people to manage their health and wellbeing.
People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends. There was a designated member of staff assigned to support with some in house activities to people including those cared for or who chose to stay in their rooms. People were treated as individuals and with kindness, dignity and compassion and staff knew them well. People were encouraged to maintain their independence. Staff responded to people’s needs in a timely way. Staff feedback was positive about how they were supported in their work. However, some staff reported that on a few occasions during the year their pay had not always been received at the time they had expected it.
The service worked with commissioners to ensure continuity of care for people was effectively managed. People’s individual communication needs were identified, and information was provided in an accessible way. People and their relatives were able to give feedback on care. Staff understood about equality and diversity. The service contacted emergency services when required and knew when to involve specialist services in people’s care. There was a system in place for responding to concerns or complaints. People’s end-of-life wishes were noted and reflected in their care records.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt the service was safe. One person told us, “I couldn’t be any safer than I am in here.” Another person told us, “I am safe because the girls [staff] hold my hand. I don’t fall because they help move me around.” A relative told us, “My [relative] is very safe here. I have confidence in the staff, and I trust them. The home has provided a safe environment.”
People were happy with the environment and cleanliness. One person told us, “My room is cleaned most days and I have all my things around me.” Another person said, “My room is clean, warm and cosy. I don’t have to worry about anything here.”
People were very complimentary about the food. One person said, “The food is good. I do enjoy my meals” Another person said, “The food is good and sometimes if I don’t like the meal the cook will do me something else. There is always plenty.”
Several people described how staff treated them kindly and with dignity and respect. One person said, “The help I need is given with kindness and patience. The staff are just great people.” A relative told us, “[Relative] has a great relationship with the staff. They treat her with kindness and respect.”
People told us they felt there could be more activities for them in the home. One person said, “There are sometimes games and quiz times but not every day. There could be more to do.” Another person told us, “I stay in my room and just watch TV or do my jigsaws. Sometimes I would like just a bit of company.” A relative said, I haven’t seen any activities when I have visited. People are just sat around watching TV.”
People were not clear about the management in the home. One person said, “I think there have been changes in the management people.” Another person said, “I don’t think there are any meetings for us, but I suppose if we had we could voice our opinions. I think the manager has left so I suppose we will get a new one.”
Some people could not directly tell us about their experience. We used a structured observation tool (SOFI) to assess whether people received good care. We observed during the SOFI a lack of interaction by staff with people. During the SOFI we noted at times staff were observed to miss opportunities to talk to and interact with people and on occasions some interactions were seen to be not always meaningful for some people.