- Care home
23 Church Street
Assessment report published 22 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
About the service
23 Church Street is a care home which supports up to 10 people. At the time of the inspection there were 10 people living at the service.
Who the service is for
This service is a specialist service that supported people with mental health needs, a learning disability and autistic people.We 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 were treated with respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
Key findingsWe carried out this assessment on 13 October 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 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 received safe, effective and person-centred care from staff who understood their needs and preferences. There was a positive learning culture, with incidents, accidents and safeguarding concerns reviewed and lessons implemented. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities, and people felt confident concerns would be recognised and acted upon. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs, staff had completed required training, and systems supported the safe ordering, recording and monitoring of medicines.
People’s needs were recorded within care plans, including how they wished to be supported. Staff understood the importance of obtaining consent before providing care, support or treatment, and healthcare professionals were contacted appropriately when required. People were treated with dignity and respect, listened to and supported to maintain their independence. They had choices about their personal space, daily activities and the care they received.
Care was personalised around people’s individual needs, likes and dislikes. People felt involved in decisions about their care and spoke positively about the support they received. Staff knew people well, and the evidence indicated people experienced positive outcomes. For example, staff advocated for a person during a hospital admission when they identified that the person’s learning disability was not being fully considered by medical staff.
The service demonstrated the principles of Right support, right care, right culture. People were supported to exercise choice, control and independence; care was person-centred and promoted dignity. Staff and leaders demonstrated values and behaviours that supported people to feel listened to and involved. People were supported to access the local community but also enjoyed going on trips, including seaside locations and music festivals.
Governance arrangements included audits to monitor care quality and maintain oversight of the service. Experienced and knowledgeable managers were involved in the day-to-day running of the service and demonstrated a commitment to the people supported. Learning, from other services operated by the provider, was used to reduce risks. Staff spoke positively about their colleagues and managers and felt supported and involved in the service.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with 4 people who used the service and their relatives and observed how staff engaged with and responded to people who did not use speech to communicate. We saw positive and respectful interactions throughout the assessment. People appeared comfortable in their home environment and spoke warmly about the support they received. One person enthusiastically shared their love of music with us and talked about the music they enjoyed listening to. They told us staff supported them well and described enjoying opportunities to take part in community activities and outings with other people using the service.
Relatives spoke positively about the care and support people received. They told us people were safe and risks to their health and wellbeing were managed well. Where health concerns arose, staff responded promptly, involved appropriate healthcare professionals and kept relatives informed. Relatives felt there were sufficient staff available and described staff as skilled, hardworking and attentive. One relative said, “The staff are skilled and caring. They work hard and always seem to have time for people.”
Relatives were confident people received their medicines and appropriate support with eating, drinking and healthcare needs. One relative described how staff supported a person who received nutrition through a feeding tube. The home and people’s bedrooms were described as clean and well maintained, with one relative saying their family member was always “immaculately clean”.
People consistently described staff as kind, caring and respectful. They told us staff respected their privacy and dignity, including knocking on bedroom doors before entering. People said they were encouraged to be as independent as possible and supported to make choices about their daily lives. A relative we spoke with told us, “The staff are very caring. They respect (persons) privacy and encourage them to do as much as they can for them self.”
We observed staff supporting people to take part in activities that reflected their interests and preferences. People participated in household activities, celebrations and movies and were supported with their individual hobbies. We also observed staff involving people in choices about food, including planning menus and discussing what they liked to eat. A person we spoke with said, “I’m happy here. Staff listen to me. I can choose what I want to do and they help me.”
Relatives described staff as kind, friendly and compassionate and felt people’s privacy and dignity were respected. They gave examples of staff encouraging independence, such as involving people in preparing meals and taking their laundry to be washed. People were supported to maintain contact with their families, and relatives were able to visit regularly. One relative would have liked their family member to go out more but recognised they required a high level of support.
Relatives felt communication was good and said staff kept them informed about people’s care, welfare and the outcomes of healthcare appointments. They felt able to raise concerns and described management as approachable. Overall, relatives were very positive about the service and said they would recommend it to others, with one relative describing the service as “head and shoulders above others”.
Overall, feedback was highly positive and demonstrated that people experienced a safe, caring and supportive environment where staff knew them well, respected their choices and promoted their independence, wellbeing and quality of life.