Frenchay House

Updated 10 March 2026

Date of Assessment: 18 to 30 March 2026.

Frenchay House is a residential care home which provides accommodation and support to up to 30 people, some of whom may be living with a dementia. At the time of our inspection 22 people were living at the home.

We carried out this assessment to review actions taken by the provider following our last inspection and to review some concerns we had received. The previous report was published in July 2025. At that time, the service was rated requires improvement in the safe, caring and well led key questions and overall. There were breaches of regulations relating to premises and equipment and good governance.

In this assessment, we reviewed quality statements under the safe, caring and well led key questions. We found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. The ratings for these key questions have changed to good. The ratings for the quality statements we did not assess remain unchanged. This means the overall rating for the service has changed to good.

Significant improvements had been made to the environment. Arrangements were in place to meet ongoing maintenance and planned redecoration schedules. Housekeeping staff were employed and the home was clean and tidy with standards regularly monitored. During our last inspection, people were not satisfied with the meals they received. The provider had changed the way meals were prepared, delivered and served. This had significantly improved people’s experience, and we received positive feedback from people about food.

The staff team had changed since our last inspection. People were positive about staff and described them as kind and caring. Staff were motivated and compassionate in their approach and there was a positive and open culture at the service. At the time of the inspection, there were enough staff available to safely support people. Staff were positive about the training and supervision they received and told us they felt well supported and able to develop their skills and knowledge.

The management team were experienced and had good oversight and understanding of the service. They had made improvements to ensure standards were monitored and met, changes were made in a timely way and effective systems and processes were in place to support the delivery of safe care.
 

Updated 10 March 2026

We spoke with people who lived at the service and their relatives about their experience of Frenchay House. Some people could not tell us about their experience in detail. We spent time at the service and used a structured observation tool to help us understand everyone’s experience and assess whether they received good care. We saw people being included and listened to and staff interactions with people were positive.

People and their relatives gave positive feedback about the service. Those who had lived at the service for some time recognised there had been many changes. This included changes to the staff team, the environment and food. Some people and relatives told us about specific issues they felt needed further improvement. For example, regarding aspects of personal care. We shared these with the registered manager for their attention.

People said they were safe and well supported by staff, and relatives told us they felt welcome when they visited the service. They knew there had been changes to the staff team. People were positive about the staff who supported them and most told us there were sufficient staff, although some people said, “I think they need a few more staff.” People and their relatives found staff to be responsive. Comments included, “The staff have been nothing but helpful” and “The carers are nice and supportive.”

Although people and relatives said they would raise concerns if necessary, some told us they did not know the managers. However, other relatives gave positive feedback about the support they had received from the management team and had found managers to be responsive and approachable.