The Care Quality Commission
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St Joseph's Nursing Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Manor House, Gay Bowers Rd, Danbury, Essex, CM3 4JQ (01245) 223367

Provided and run by:
Forest Pines Care Limited

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 27 July 2026 to 4 August 2026. St Joseph's Nursing Home provides personal and nursing care for up to 41 people aged 65 and over. At the time of our assessment, 37 people were living at the home.

At our last assessment the provider was previously in breach of the regulations relating to safe care and treatment and good governance. At this assessment, we found sufficient improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.

People living at St Joseph's Nursing Home received care and support from staff who knew them well and worked to promote their independence, dignity and wellbeing. Staff spoke positively about the support they received from leaders and described a culture where learning, teamwork and open communication were encouraged. People and relatives also provided positive feedback about the care provided and felt involved in decisions about their support.

People were supported by staff who understood their needs and risks. Care plans and risk assessments provided guidance on how to manage identified risks while promoting choice and independence. Staff worked closely with external health and social care professionals to ensure people received appropriate support when their needs changed.

Leaders had also responded to concerns relating to electronic monitoring systems by implementing paper-based processes to strengthen oversight of medicines administration and repositioning records. Although some environmental improvements were still required, leaders had recognised these issues, taken action to address them and had plans in place to complete outstanding works.

Leaders demonstrated a good understanding of the service and had established governance systems to support oversight, quality monitoring and continuous improvement. The registered manager described a daily governance process involving the management team, supported by audits, spot checks, walkarounds and departmental monitoring. Staff described leaders as approachable and supportive, and felt able to raise concerns and contribute ideas to improve care.

Leaders recognised areas where further improvements were needed and demonstrated a commitment to learning and driving sustainable improvements for people living at the service. Overall, governance arrangements supported the delivery of safe care, although some environmental oversight processes required further strengthening to ensure issues were addressed as promptly as possible.

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 8 December 2025 to 30 December 2025. St Joseph’s Nursing Home is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to 35 people aged 65 and over at the time of the assessment. The service can support up to 41 people. We found 2 breaches of regulations related to safe care and treatment and governance.

Medicines management required improvement, and audits did not identify the concerns we found. Issues were identified with infection control processes. However, this was actioned immediately following the assessment.

Governance systems required improvement as checks and audits had not always identified where improvements were needed in relation to medicine processes, monitoring charts and infection control, to ensure improvements were made in an effective and timely way.

Risks to people’s care and support were in place. However, improvements were needed to monitoring charts as targets for repositioning and fluid intake were not consistently met. People told us they felt safe and safeguarding processes were in place. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited safely.

People’s needs were assessed prior to admission. Staff worked well with external professionals to ensure continuity of care. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff received training to meet people’s needs.

Observations of care practice on our visit consistently demonstrated caring and compassionate staff. An activity plan was in place. This plan was regularly reviewed with people to ensure it met their preferences.

Staff knew people well and promoted their independence. Care plans were regularly reviewed and involved people and their relatives if required. Staff were very positive about the leadership team at the service and felt supported.

 

3 December 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service.

St Joseph’s Nursing Home provides personal and nursing care for up to 41 people of all ages. They were providing care for 36 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service was safe, and people were protected from harm. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding adults from abuse and knew what to do if they had any concerns and how to report them. Risk assessments were thorough and personalised.

Staffing levels were meeting the needs of the people who used the service and staff demonstrated they had the relevant knowledge and skills to support people with their care. Safe recruitment practices were in place. People’s medicines were managed and administered safely. The service was clean and infection control procedures in place and lessons were learnt when things went wrong.

The service was effective. Training was provided on a regular basis and updated. People were supported with maintaining a balanced diet and enjoyed the food provided. Staff liaised well with health professionals to ensure people were kept as well as could be.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and their family members told us staff were caring and kind. They said they were involved in discussions about their care. People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity protected.

Care plans were detailed and contained relevant information about people who used the service and their needs. People had access to a range of individual and group social and leisure activities which they enjoyed. Concerns and complaints were listened to and fully investigated. People were well looked after at the end of their life.

The service was well led by an established and experienced management team and consistent team of staff. Staff were well supported and spoke highly about working for the service. A quality assurance process was in place which ensured the service was safe and met the requirements of the law.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection. The last rating for this service was Good. (19 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor the information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

19 December 2016

During a routine inspection

The Inspection took place on the 19 December 2016.

St Joseph’s Nursing Home provides accommodation and personal care with nursing for up to 41 people some of whom may require palliative care. At the time of our inspection 31 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. People’s needs were met by sufficient numbers of staff. Medication was dispensed by staff who had received training to do so.

People were safeguarded from the potential of harm and their freedoms protected. Staff were provided with training in Safeguarding Adults from abuse, Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager knew how to make a referral if required to the local authority

People had sufficient amounts to eat and drink to ensure that their dietary and nutrition needs were met. People's care records showed that, where appropriate, support and guidance was sought from health care professionals, including GPs, palliative care, dieticians and occupational therapists.

Staff were attentive to people's needs. Staff were able to demonstrate that they knew people well. Staff treated people with dignity and respect.

People were provided with the opportunity to participate in activities which interested them. These activities were diverse to meet people’s social needs. People knew how to make a complaint and complaints had been resolved efficiently and quickly.

The service had a number of ways of gathering people’s views including using questionnaires and by talking with people, staff, and relatives. The registered manager carried out a number of quality monitoring audits to help ensure the service was running effectively and to drive improvements.