Wansbeck House

Updated 21 July 2025

We assessed the service to follow up on concerns highlighted about safe care and treatment and the service having not been inspected since 2020. During this inspection we did not find evidence that people were at risk of harm from these concerns.

Wansbeck House is a residential care home for people with a learning disability or complex physical disabilities. They are registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 8 people. At the time of our inspection 5 people were living at the home. The home is located on the second floor within the Percy Hedley school and is accessed via the main school building, with no direct access to any outdoor space.

The service had a recently appointed manager who is completing the registration process with the Care Quality Commission. This means that once registered they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and the quality and safety of the care provided.

We reviewed the service against our “Right Support, Right Care’ Right Culture” guidance to evaluate whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability were treated with respect, equality; dignity, choices; independence and good access to local communities, that most people take for granted. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of our site visit to make sure people would be in and they would be happy for us to visit them.

The service had a positive person-centred culture. The care team knew people well and had built up a good rapport with people and involved them in day-to-day choices. Medicines were managed safely. Visiting professionals gave positive feedback about the care staff. Care treatment plans, assessments and transitions were managed well. People felt safe at the service. Consent was sought when providing care, and best interest decisions and mental capacity assessments were in place when needed. Staff treated people with compassion and kindness, responding to individual needs and requests, encouraging independence and choice which was tailored to people’s personal interests.

Not all staff felt able to speak up or listened to or their suggestions actioned by the management team.

Updated 21 July 2025

The service had good working relationships with visiting professionals, including regular contact with medical professionals and the local dispensing pharmacy to address concerns promptly and with ease. A professional said, “Staff know them all well and you can see they care about them and just want the best for them.

The people in the service were observed engaging positively with the staff, using facial expressions to show they were happy with the interaction and conversations they were having. When asked if they liked living at Wansbeck house, one person proudly showed me their bedroom and it being personalised with posters, photographs and their personal belongings and interests.

Relatives felt included in the care planning and updated with relevant information. Comments shared included “The care staff are wonderful, and I know [Person] is looked after well, and I know [Person] is happy doing what he likes to do.”