Witnesham Nursing Home

Updated 9 July 2026

Date of inspection: 21 July 2026 to 7 August May 2026. Witnesham Nursing Home is a nursing service providing care and support to up to 30 adults with a range of needs, including nursing care, sensory impairments, physical disabilities and dementia.

At the time of the inspection, 22 people were living at the service. This inspection was carried out due to the length of time since the last inspection.

We found a number of areas where the provider had not consistently ensured safe, effective and well-governed care. Governance, quality assurance and oversight arrangements had not always been sufficiently robust to identify, monitor and address risks in a timely manner. A

Although audits, monitoring systems and improvement plans were in place, these had not consistently identified concerns or resulted in sustained improvements.Shortly after acquiring the service, the provider commissioned an independent review to gain an objective understanding of the service’s performance and identify any areas requiring improvement. The findings of the review identified a number of concerns and areas for development, many of which were consistent with those identified during this inspection. The provider was open and transparent in sharing both the findings of the review and their plans for addressing the issues identified.

Concerns were identified in relation to care planning, risk management and record keeping. Assessments and care plans were not always accurate, up to date or reflective of people's current needs and risks. Records relating to areas such as repositioning were not always completed consistently, preventing the provider from demonstrating that care had been delivered in line with assessed needs.

Although staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding responsibilities and people and relatives reported feeling safe, delays had occurred in submitting some Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications. In addition, there were examples where appropriate mental capacity assessments and best interest decision-making documentation were not fully in place to support care arrangements. Whilst the provider had recognised these concerns and started to strengthen oversight, improvements had not yet been fully embedded into practice.

Updated 9 July 2026

People and their relatives provided positive feedback about their experience of living at the service. People described staff as kind, caring and respectful, and relatives told us they felt their family members were safe and well supported. Positive relationships between people and staff were evident throughout the inspection, with staff responding promptly to requests for assistance and treating people with dignity, compassion and patience.

However, the inspection identified a number of shortfalls which had the potential to negatively impact people's experiences and outcomes. Inaccuracies and inconsistencies in care planning, risk management and record keeping meant the provider could not always demonstrate that people consistently received care in line with their assessed needs and preferences. Shortcomings in medicines management, staffing processes, environmental oversight and infection prevention and control increased the risk of people being exposed to avoidable harm.

A lack of effective oversight of the environment had the potential to affect people's comfort, dignity and well-being. The provider acknowledged the shortfalls identified and demonstrated an understanding of the improvements required. They provided assurance of their commitment to making the necessary changes and had begun taking action to drive improvement. However, the provider recognised that some of the required improvements would take time to fully implement and embed into practice, and therefore additional time was needed to achieve sustainable improvement across the service.

Overall, people received kind care from a committed staff team, however, shortfalls in oversight and governance meant that some issues were not always identified or acted upon in a timely way. Although the provider demonstrated transparency in acknowledging areas for improvement, further work was required to strengthen care planning, environmental standards and quality assurance processes to ensure consistently safe and effective care.