Briar House

Ratings

• Overall

  Requires improvement

• Safe

  Requires improvement

• Effective

  Requires improvement

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Requires improvement

Our view of the service

Date of inspection: 16 June to 22 July 2026.

The service is a residential home providing accommodation with nursing and personal care for older people and people living with dementia. The service is registered to support 62 people, however at the time of the inspection they were only able to support a maximum of 51 people. There were 47 people living in the service at the time the inspection commenced.

The home is separated into 3 areas, Lavender unit which is currently closed for refurbishment. Honeysuckle unit which is on the ground floor and Sunflower unit which is on the first floor.

This was a comprehensive inspection of all quality statements, which was prompted due to the age of the last rating. The last comprehensive inspection of the service was in 2018, where the service was rated as Good. The provider had changed since the last inspection, and this was the first inspection under the current provider.

We carried out unannounced visits to the service on 16, 18 June 2026 and 16 July 2026.

This inspection found the service was in breach of 1 legal regulation relating to good governance.

We found concerns relating to governance systems and processes in place to monitor and assess the safety of the environment, medicines management and consent.

Consent had not always been lawfully obtained in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

We found that staff were caring and supported people in a kind and considerate manner. Staff worked well with healthcare professionals.

We raised our concerns with the provider at the time of the inspection; actions had been taken to address the concerns relating to the environment. However, further actions are needed to improve the service.

People's experience of this service

People and their relatives told us that they felt safe living at Briar House. They provided positive feedback about the staff and the management being kind, caring and approachable. Feedback from relatives included, “I would recommend it”, “It is just a really nice atmosphere, I would definitely recommend it”, and “I think it is a good home, with good staff and management.”

One person living at the service told us, “[Staff] are very sympathetic about what is wrong with you, you can have a laugh and a joke with them.” While another person told us, “It’s a good place, if you’ve got a problem they’ll look into it.”