Whitgift House

Updated 20 April 2026

We assessed this service during 19 May – 3rd June 2026. Whitgift House is a care home with nursing providing support for 31 older people, including people living with dementia, physical disability and other complex needs.

This service was last rated good in December 2018. In this assessment we have rated this provider as require improvement. We found breaches of legal regulations related to good governance and safeguarding.

We observed staff treating people with dignity and respect, supporting people patiently at mealtimes, and knowing people’s individual needs well. Care records we reviewed were detailed and included people’s social histories, and medicines management arrangements were safe.

However, the assessment identified areas where the service did not always provide consistently good outcomes. Several people, relatives and staff said there were times when there were not enough staff to meet people’s needs promptly, particularly for people who required 2 staff to support them. People reported delays with personal care and reduced opportunities for meaningful one-to-one engagement, with some people telling us they felt isolated in their rooms.

We found shortfalls in record keeping and oversight of safeguarding which meant we could not be assured they were maintaining accurate records to comply with their regulatory requirements to meet good governance standards and keep people safe from potential harm. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

Leaders understood the need to strengthen governance, staffing oversight and the quality of activities, which included on-going recruitment of additional staff.

Overall, people experienced kind and respectful care from committed staff, but further work was needed to ensure staffing and governance arrangements consistently supported safe, responsive and well-led care.

Updated 20 April 2026

People’s feedback was positive. People told us they felt safe, staff were kind and caring, and the home was clean and welcoming. People were positive about their experience and described feeling safe, respected and involved in their care. They said staff were kind, knowledgeable and treated them as individuals. One person told us, “This is a wonderful home. I feel safe and secure and the staff make us all feel comfortable.”

Several people described how staff treated them kindly and made sure any personal care was done sensitively, preserving their privacy and dignity.

People reported that staff delivered care in a dignified and sensitive way, maintaining their privacy. They valued the consistent staff team, supportive atmosphere, and the ability to maintain relationships and independence.

Where people were unable to share their views directly, we used a structured intervention tool (SOFI) to assess whether they received safe care. We observed staff promoting people’s choice and independence, and that staff understood people’s individual needs.

One person described how staff had supported their dietary needs by having the chef talk to them and create an individual menu. People felt able to complain and were confident action would be taken and improvements would be made.

Feedback about management and activities was mixed. Some people spoke positively about the new manager’s visibility and engagement, while others felt standards had declined following several recent management changes. Similarly, while some people enjoyed the range of activities, others felt opportunities were limited, particularly for those who remained in their rooms.