Belong Chester

Date of assessment: 3 November to 2 December 2025. Belong Chester is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 75 adults with a range of needs, including people living with dementia. At the time of our assessment, 61 people were using the service. The assessment was carried out in response to emerging risks.

The provider was in breach of the legal regulations relating to safe care and treatment, and good governance.

People were not always provided with safe care and treatment. The provider did not always manage medicines safely. Oral and personal care were not always completed or recorded in line with people’s preferences. Recent safeguarding incidents highlighted some shortfalls, including concerns around documentation and the recording of care notes.

The environment was generally safe; however, we identified areas where infection prevention control (IPC) and general cleanliness required improvement.

Staff did not always receive regular supervision, and we identified areas where training could be improved to support the safer delivery of care to people.

Governance systems and processes were not always effective in assessing, monitoring and improving the performance, quality and safety of services provided. Some audits were in place and completed regularly, however, medication audits had not identified some of the concerns we found. Staff did not always understand their roles and responsibilities. Improvements were needed to some care plans to ensure they were up to date and contained relevant information to reflect people’s preferences and needs. We found some care plans were missing for people with specific health needs.

However, people were treated with kindness and compassion. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. People were encouraged to be independent and had access to a variety of activities. The provider had a good learning culture, with leaders and staff sharing vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. We were assured the management team were responsive to the feedback provided and were already working on an action plan. They demonstrated awareness of the areas requiring improvement and took appropriate action in response to the concerns identified. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns we found.

Date of Assessment: 17 February to 12 March 2025. Belong Chester is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 75 adults with a range of needs, including people living with dementia. At the time of our assessment 62 people were using the service.This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. We assessed all of the quality statements.

Overall, we found the service supported people with person-centred care. The provider had taken an innovative approach and used research to inform their practice. They had developed the service based on evidence-based care models, with an intergenerational approach and on-site nursery. People, relatives and staff described the benefits for children and people, who regularly engaged and shared activities and experiences. People were supported within ‘households,’ where a maximum of 12 people lived. These were designed to feel like home and with a focus on an environment which enable people to be involved and as independent as possible.

The provider worked in partnership with a dementia specialist (admiral nurse) based at the service, who provided advice and support. Staff welcomed the local community to join and be part of life at the service. There was a gym and exercise specialist who supported people with tailored programmes. The provider had a focus on supporting people to enjoy life.

However, we found some areas for improvement were required mainly relating to safeguarding, safe and effective staffing, aspects of risk management and infection prevention and control.

There was a registered manager in post. Prior to our assessment, the provider had introduced a range of improvements to increase their oversight and ensure audits undertaken were effective. The provider was working on a service development plan, including completed improvements and where further development was needed. Some of the issues we identified were already part of the provider’s development plan, however, not all had been identified and/or addressed. The provider was responsive, taking several actions in response to our feedback to strengthen their oversight further.