- Care home
Dunsford
Assessment report published 4 November 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
We carried out this assessment on 30 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.
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. We found people were supported in accordance with this guidance. The provider ensured people were supported to access their communities, and were enabled to live meaningful and engaging lives.
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 management 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 were supported by enough staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them safely. Staff received training related to people’s care needs along with any health conditions. Risks were well managed and people were kept safe. There were effective systems in place to safeguard people from abuse. Medicines were administered safely and there were systems in place to ensure the environment was safe and homely.
Assessments were completed to ensure people’s needs and wishes were fully understood. People were supported to maintain good nutrition and hydration. Where people had specialist dietary requirements, staff understood these and ensured suitable food was made available. Effective systems were in place to monitor people’s health and wellbeing. Staff understood the need to gain consent from people when delivering daily care. Capacity assessments were used where there were concerns about people’s ability to make specific choices such as managing their medicines safely. People were supported to make daily choices where needed.
People were treated with kindness and respect. One person told us, “Staff are really nice and they help us.” Staff respected people’s privacy and promoted their dignity. People were supported to maintain their independence and remain safe when they independently went into the community, ensuring they had their phone on them in case they needed to call staff.
People received person-centred care tailored to their specific needs. Personalised care plans were in place to provide staff with essential information about people’s personal goals and preferences. The service actively involved people in decisions about service delivery and their daily care routines. People had a weekly meeting to discuss what meals they wanted and to create a shopping order. People told us they felt included in decisions about their care.
The service had a relaxed atmosphere and positive working culture. Staff told us they got on well and supported one another to ensure people’s needs were well met. Staff told us they felt valued and respected by the provider. Staff described leaders as supportive and approachable. Effective auditing processes were in place that promoted a good quality of service. The provider promoted learning, improvement and innovation. The provider had developed and embedded effective data analysis systems that enabled leaders at all levels to maintain effective oversight of people’s care. These systems were easy to use and enabled leaders to make meaningful changes to people’s care that supported good quality of life and promoted safety.
People's experience of this service
We gathered feedback from people by speaking with them during morning and evening visits to the service on 30 September 2026. We also completed observations of people’s interactions with staff during these visits. We gathered feedback from people’s relatives by calling them on the telephone.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe and well cared for by staff. People described the staff as, “really kind,” and “lovely.” People were supported by staff who were proactive at promoting people’s health and well-being. They told us how staff had scheduled in their flu vaccinations to help keep them well. People’s relatives were pleased with the support people received. One relative told us, “Staff have [relative’s] best interests at heart. [Relative] is happy and always wants to go back to the service after a visit home. They [relative] have a good rapport with the other residents.”
People’s bedrooms were personalised and really captured people’s interests and hobbies, with items such as musical instruments, and model trucks and airplanes. People proudly showed us around their rooms and told us about the things they liked. People appeared to enjoy the company of staff. One person said, “We each get to spend time with the staff. I get on with all the staff. [Staff member] helps me set up my steering wheel for my Play Station.”
People were supported to live meaningful lives. During the daytime most people attended a nearby college or day service. People described all the interesting things they did including swimming, drama classes and painting bird boxes. At the service there were a range of things to do including a pool table, arts and crafts and a karaoke machine. People were supported to celebrate special occasions and had recently hosted a garden party for a person’s birthday. One staff member told us, “We support them all to make a Christmas cake to take home to their families.” One person said, “We decorate the house for Christmas each year and have a Christmas party.” Entertainers sometimes visited the service. One person told us, “We all sat in the garden listening to the music man.” One person described their experience of the service as, “Living the life of luxury.”
People were supported to develop and maintain their independence. After their evening meal, everyone worked together to wash and dry the dishes, wiping the tables and making sure everything was put away in the kitchen. One person said, “We each have jobs to do. We work together and take it in turns.” People were supported to identify and work towards their ambitions and personal goals. One person told us staff supported them to work towards their goal of losing weight. They described how staff helped them remain active and supported them to make informed choices around food and healthy eating.