- Care home
St Marys Chanterlands Care Home
This care home is run by two companies: WT Granite Opco (STM) Ltd and North Bay Care Service Ltd. These two companies have a dual registration and are jointly responsible for the services at the home.
Assessment report published 21 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 18 August to 4 September 2026. St Marys Chanterlands Care Home provides accommodation, personal and nursing care for up to 86 people across residential, dementia and nursing units. At the time of the assessment, 84 people were using the service. The service supports younger and older adults, including people living with dementia and those with physical disabilities or sensory impairments. This comprehensive assessment was undertaken to rate the newly registered service.
Overall, people received kind and compassionate care from staff who knew them well and were committed to meeting their needs. People and relatives described staff as caring and approachable, and there was positive feedback about meals, choices and the increased range of activities. A visitor described staff as “amazing” and said the service had a “lovely warm atmosphere.” Staff also spoke positively about teamwork and leadership. A staff member said, “This is one of the best homes I have worked in.”
Staff understood safeguarding responsibilities, felt able to raise concerns and were confident managers would act upon them. People were supported to access healthcare services. Staff worked with external professionals, and appropriate arrangements were in place around consent and safeguarding. The service was generally clean, staff received training and supervision, and safe recruitment processes were followed. Staff described the registered manager and senior staff as approachable and supportive. A staff member said the registered manager was “great, always approachable and listens” and would act if there was an issue.
However, improvements were needed to governance, staffing, record keeping, and the dementia care environment. Records did not consistently demonstrate that people received care in line with their care plans, including repositioning, safety checks, modified diets, medicines and the use of safety equipment. There was no identifiable evidence from the sample of records reviewed that people had come to harm due to these findings, however improvement was needed to be able to provide assurance that robust recording of care was in place.
The part of the service for people living with dementia lacked accessible signage, visual contrast and other features to help people orientate themselves. Staff and relatives raised concerns about staffing during evenings and nights. One staff member said that low staffing levels could have potentially affect “the quality and safety of residents.”
We did not identify evidence that people had experienced harm because of the concerns found. The provider was open and responsive throughout the assessment and acted promptly following feedback. The registered manager introduced additional checks, strengthened audits, provided staff supervision and began improving care records and oversight arrangements. The provider also agreed to review staffing and take action to improve the dementia environment. These actions, together with the knowledge and responsiveness of staff and managers, reduced the immediate risk to people. However, the provider needed to ensure improvements were fully embedded and sustained.
People's experience of this service
People and relatives gave mixed feedback about their experiences of the service. During the assessment, we observed staff treating people with kindness, patience and respect. Staff knew people well, responded to their immediate needs and supported them at an appropriate pace. Mealtimes were calm and unhurried, people had choices, and staff provided assistance sensitively.
Several relatives praised the care provided by staff. One relative said, “The carers are lovely and will always speak to me.” Another described how staff had helped them feel at home in the service, they told us, “Staff are ace, I’m fitting in and making friends.”
People also spoke positively about opportunities to socialise. While others told us they felt their relatives were safe in the service. One relative said, “I think [family member] is safe there.”
Relatives were generally positive about meals and said staff tried different options when people’s appetites reduced. One relative said, “[Family member] seems happy with the food and the choices.” Another said, “They seem to have increased the level of activities in the day room, and I think she is spending more time with others as a result.”
However, other relatives described less positive experiences. Some raised concerns about staffing levels during evenings, nights and weekends. One person said, “There certainly are not as many staff now as there were when the place opened. Sunday is the worst day, but I can usually find someone if I need to ask something.”
Communication and involvement were also inconsistent. Some relatives said they received appropriate updates, while others felt they had to ask for information and were not consistently involved in care reviews. One relative said, “We always seem to have to ask what has happened or for updates.” Although relatives said staff usually acted when concerns were raised, they wanted more proactive communication and consistent follow-up from managers. A person told us about their experiences of care and described the service as, “St Marys Chanterlands is not top of the charts, but then it is not bottom of the charts either.”