Updated 15 October 2025
Date of assessment: 1 December 2025 to 15 December 2025
Parkhill Nursing Home is a care home providing personal care and support for up to 38 people in 1 adapted building over 3 floors. The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide nursing care; however, this regulated activity is not currently provided. The service provides support to older adults, people with physical disabilities, and people living with dementia and other cognitive impairments. At the time of our assessment, there were 14 people living at the home.
This assessment was carried out to follow up on ongoing enforcement action taken against the provider from the last assessment in July 2025 where we identified 4 continued breaches of regulation, relating to dignity and respect, premises and equipment, good governance, and safe staffing. At this assessment we found no improvements had been made. The provider continued to be in breaches of the same 4 regulations. In addition, new breaches were identified in relation to person-centred care, safe care and treatment, and the safe management of people’s nutrition and hydration needs.
Parkhill Nursing Home has been rated inadequate or requires improvement for the last five inspections, and the provider has not been able to sustain the improvements noted at the last assessment. This meant there was a history of failing to respond adequately to serious concerns raised by CQC. In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.
This service is now in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.
At the time of our visit, there was no registered manager, and there had not been a registered manager in post for several years, despite this being a regulatory requirement. An application had recently been made by a member of the provider’s senior management team to register with CQC as the manager of Parkhill Nursing Home, with assurances they would be consistently available at the service until more permanent registered management arrangements were made.
People were not safe. There was limited oversight of risk, which placed people at increased risk of harm. Professional advice was not followed. Premises were not secure and appropriate equipment not in place. The kitchen had received the lowest rating from the Food Standards Agency, and there were shortfalls in access to hot water, oversight of safety equipment including window restrictors and radiator covers. There were insufficient suitably trained staff available to support people when needed. The staff team, while kind and well-intentioned, were not supported by the provider with regular supervision, assessment of their competencies, and robust training. There was limited oversight of people’s risk, with risk assessments not always being accurate or reflective of people’s current needs.
People spoke positively about the quality of food, which had improved. However, people who needed a modified diet to reduce the risk of choking or support to put on weight did not consistently receive this support. Where people lacked capacity, assessments were in place with decisions being made in people’s best interests and applications for authorisation where people were subject to restrictions.
People did not receive care when they needed because there was not enough staff. Although staff were kind, care was not responsive and was task led. This meant care was not always in-line with people’s needs, wishes and preferences.
Care was not always provided in a way which was personalised and met people’s needs. While people were confident staff would help them to access the healthcare support they needed, guidance given by professionals was not always clearly recorded or captured. Where people had expressed preferences, these were not always being followed, for example around where people wanted to spend time or how often they wanted support with personal care.
The provider had failed to address multiple areas of concern which had been raised at previous assessments and prioritise areas which would have the most impact for people, including the needed improvements in care and areas of the building which were in frequent use by people living at the home.