During an assessment under our new approach
Date of Assessment: 14 July to 4 August 2026. The service is a care home providing personal and nursing care to older people, younger people and people living with dementia. The service can support up to 80 people. At the time of our assessment 73 people were using the service.
A new provider registered the service in November 2024 and the rating of requires improvement was inherited from the old provider. We carried out an assessment looking at all quality statements to be able to provide an overall rating for the service. Risks associated with people’s care were mainly identified, but not always managed, to keep people safe. We found care plans did not always reflect people’s current needs and lacked detail to be able to move and handle people safely. We identified concerns with the environment and infection control. Following our visit, we requested an action plan from the provider to ensure improvements were made.
There appeared to be sufficient staff available to meet people's needs. However, we saw care staff carrying out numerous non-care duties, which impacted on the support people received. All staff we spoke with raised concerns regarding staffing levels. They were expected to do cleaning, meal service, clearing and laying tables and some laundry duties. Staff told us staffing levels were not suitable to keep people safe. Staff did not always encourage people to maximise their independence and promote their health and well-being. We saw staff lacked direction; were task orientated and did not always work together as a team.
There was lack of governance and oversight, which had not identified shortfalls. Staff did not feel listened to, respected or valued. Staff felt their wellbeing was not considered, and many told us they were very stressed and anxious due to the workload expected of them.
A new manager had been appointed, and a new operations manager was overseeing the service. They were both aware of all the issues we had identified and were developing a robust action plan, improved governance systems, supervision systems for staff, training and mentoring, and better communication to address the issues and drive improvements.