Archived: Lower Bowshaw View Nursing Home

Updated 19 November 2025

Date of Assessment: 14 January to 27 January 2026. The service is a nursing home providing support to older people, including people living with dementia. We carried out an assessment looking at all the quality statements in all key questions. Our decision to inspect the service was to check improvements since our last assessment and to review breaches of regulation and current enforcement action. At our last assessment the service was rated inadequate and was in breach of regulations regarding safe care and treatment, person centred care, staffing, safeguarding and good governance. Whilst we found some issues were not completely resolved at this inspection, we saw several positive developments which had led to better outcomes for people. The home had a manager who was being supported by a consultant, and they were working well together to make improvements to the oversight and leadership of the service. However, if these people were not in post there would be a high risk of deterioration as systems and processes were not fully embedded into practice. The outcome of this assessment was a rating of requires improvement with continued breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance.

Whilst there had been a lot of improvement to care documentation, some care plans and risk assessments did not always reflect people’s current needs. The management team were aware of these anomalies and were taking action to resolve them. Staff knew people well and understood risks associated with their care, which minimised risk to people. There had been improvements to the environment and routine checks and maintenance were carried out, although some areas still required attention. For example, the passenger lift door sensor was not a full body sensor, which meant people could not use the passenger lift without staff presence, due to risk of the door closing on them. The management team were aware of this and had liaised with the provider to action. The home was predominantly clean; however, some minor issues were identified. Staff had access to personal, protective equipment (PPE) and used this as appropriate. Improvements had been made to the management of medicines and people received their medicines as prescribed. However, some temperature monitoring of medicine storage needed to improve. People who were prescribed medicines on an as and when required basis, did not always have protocols in place which reflected the correct instructions. The management team were aware of these issues and were working with the nursing team to resolve them.

We observed staff interacting with people and found they were kind and caring, offering choices and upholding people’s decisions. People and relatives were complimentary about the home and visiting professionals told us they could see improvements and were positive about the management team and staff.

Since our last assessment the management team had implemented a governance system which evidenced issues were identified as part of regular audits. The management team had good oversight of the home and were knowledgeable about what had improved and where the shortfalls were. Lessons learned were a key aspect of the governance system and clearly identified what lessons had been learnt, what action they had taken to address concerns and what changes to practice had followed to improve outcomes for people. These systems required further embedding into practice.

The service had been in Special Measures since June 2025. Staff and leaders demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Updated 19 November 2025

During the assessment we spent time talking with people and their relatives, who told us they were happy living at Lower Bowshaw View. The only negative comments were they had not always been involved in care planning and not always had access to a chiropodist. The management team were aware of these issues and were taking action to address them. A chiropodist had been identified and was willing to visit the home to provide support to people. People told us they felt safe, 1 person said, “I feel safe because there is always someone around.” Another person said, “I am safe and happy here because I have not got any worries.” People told us their bedrooms were kept clean and were presented in the way they chose. One person said, “My bedroom is clean and tidy.” People and relatives told us staffing had improved. One relative said, “There are more regular staff than agency staff and they know what they are doing now.”People felt assured that a doctor would be called if they needed one. One person said, “They [staff] would definitely get a doctor.” People were complimentary about the food offered to them, commenting that, “The food is nice,” and “The food is brilliant, there’s a lovely selection.” People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring. One person said, “I can have a chat with them [staff] if I want. They [staff] ask me if I am ok.” Another person said, “I find staff understanding and caring. The staff understand me and treat me with respect and dignity.” One relative said, “They [staff] are polite, kind and caring.” People told us there were lots of activities within the home and they enjoyed taking part in them. People and relatives told us the service was well run. One person said, “I think it is so well run here. I am aware who the manager is and the best thing about the home is the friendship.” A relative said, “The manager is approachable, and I have good contact with [family member].”