- Care home
Waring Close
Assessment report published 9 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
About the service
Waring Close is a care home. The registered service is across 3 smaller independent homes, all with their own kitchen, lounge, dining room and bathrooms for up to 5 or 6 people per accommodation. The independent homes were interconnected with garden space. There were 16 people using the service at the time of the inspection.
Who the service is for
This is a specialist service for people with a learning disability and autistic people. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
Although this was a larger service, we were assured the provider was delivering care in line with the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture. People lived in smaller, self-contained homes which promoted a homely environment and helped maintain a personalised approach to care and support. Each home had a dedicated staff team and team leader who knew people well and understood their individual needs, preferences and aspirations. Homes were personalised to reflect the people who lived there, with individualised décor, tailored menus and access to outdoor garden spaces. People also benefitted from dedicated wheelchair-accessible minibuses for each home, enabling them to access their local communities, maintain independence and take part in activities of their choosing. These arrangements helped ensure people experienced continuity of support, developed meaningful relationships with staff and received care that was centred around their individual lifestyles and preferences, rather than being influenced by the size of the overall service.
Our view of the service
We carried out this assessment on 9 September 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
People were supported by enough safely recruited staff, who had the skills and knowledge to provide effective support. Staff consistently spoke positively about training and support available to them. One staff member told us, “The training is great, if we need it for the people we support the management facilitate it. We care currently attending a BSL course with a person we support to help us with their communication needs”
The provider had systems in place to support the safe management of medicines; however, these were not always implemented consistently. We identified concerns relating to medicines records, supporting documentation and the governance of medicines practices. Although regular audits were completed, these had not consistently identified the issues found during the inspection.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and managers worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.
People's needs were thoroughly assessed before they moved into the service to ensure their care and support could be provided safely and effectively. Care was delivered in line with current legislation, best practice guidance, and evidence-based approaches to achieve positive outcomes for people. Staff worked with people and their representatives to identify their goals and aspirations, and care plans reflected these individual preferences and needs. There was a focus on positive risk taking to increase people’s independence, skills development, social and leisure links.
Staff consistently adopted a person-centred approach that recognised and respected people's identities, cultures, relationships and personal aspirations. Through creative and responsive support, people were enabled to maintain important connections, participate in meaningful experiences and achieve outcomes they valued. This contributed to a strong sense of belonging, inclusion and overall wellbeing. People received highly personalised support that reflected their individual interests, aspirations and needs. Staff took time to understand what mattered most to people and used this knowledge to provide meaningful opportunities that enhanced wellbeing, promoted independence and improved quality of life. A staff member told us, “We always go above and beyond for people who live here. Nothing is too much trouble. The managers support us with our suggestions and ideas to ensure people have the access to different experiences that mean something to them.”
The provider demonstrated a very strong commitment to equity, inclusion and accessibility. Staff worked proactively to identify and remove barriers, ensuring people had equal opportunities to communicate, participate in their communities, build relationships and achieve their goals. This approach supported people to remain actively involved in decisions about their lives and achieve outcomes that were meaningful to them.
The management team were supportive and approachable, and promoted a collaborative approach to continually learning and improving the service. Professionals were consistently positive about the service, and one told us, “We have a strong working relationship with the provider, they listen and take onboard all of our recommendations or directives”
The provider had governance and quality assurance systems in place; however, some monitoring processes had not consistently identified concerns, and governance arrangements did not always ensure leaders had a complete overview of risks, themes and actions. Opportunities to strengthen oversight, demonstrate learning and support sustained improvement were sometimes missed. Leaders told us they were committed to improving service delivery and responded promptly to strengthen governance arrangements.
The service was underpinned by a strong values-based culture that was embedded across all levels of the organisation. Leaders and staff demonstrated a commitment to learning, improvement and innovation, using feedback and reflection to enhance people's experiences and outcomes. This approach supported the delivery of personalised care, promoted inclusion and independence, and helped people achieve outcomes that were meaningful to them.
People's experience of this service
The service had a warm, calm and family like atmosphere. People moved freely around the home, accessed shared spaces confidently and spent time in ways that were meaningful to them. They were observed to be happy during the inspection, laughing and smiling with staff and it was clear they had formed positive relationships with staff who knew them well. They were relaxed and interactions were kind and caring.
People had equitable access to care and support, including those who were unable to fully communicate verbally. We observed staff giving people time, listening carefully and responding to both verbal and non-verbal communication. People were encouraged to develop independence, and their achievements were recognised and celebrated, which supported confidence.
People’s emotional wellbeing, identity and sense of purpose were supported through personalised care and meaningful engagement. Care reflected people’s life history, interests and preferences, and activities were adapted so people could continue to take part as their needs changed. This supported dignity, independence and quality of life. One relative commented, “[Person] has Jamaican origins and staff got them a flag, music and caterers to do more cultural food for them. They have also started visiting a Caribbean community group which they really enjoy.” Another relative said, “My relative comes home about 4 times a year. Staff bring the mobile hoist with them to transfer [person] from the wheelchair. Their key worker will stay with us and the driver will come to pick them up later on. On their birthday they picked me up to go out to dinner. [Person] has been on holiday with staff to Skegness for a weekend from Friday to Monday. They loved it! They got to eat gluten free donuts along the seaside front”
Relatives spoke extremely highly of the service, staff and management. Comments included, “‘Nothing is an issue for them as they all care. [Person] has funded support for 1:1 care day and night. They use an iPad to communicate with others. Has a good relationship with all the staff. They are friends who they went to school previously with two of the current residents. Staff go above normal care routines and so appreciated.” And “Good relationship with manager, they will listen and come back to me with what they have done. There are some new staff but everything runs smoothly. I do get an annual feedback form. Atmosphere is warm and friendly. Place is clean. They are a nice bunch there and I would give them 10/10 for [persons] care.”
Although we identified some concerns in relation to medicines management, people and their relatives did not express concerns about how medicines were administered. A relative commented, “The medication is given by trained staff and always checked beforehand by another member of staff. [Person] has to have one of their medications with food, so I watch staff give it to them yesterday with their lunch.”