- Care home
Conifers Nursing Home
Assessment report published 5 June 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 30 April 2026. The service is a nursing home providing support to older people, including people living with dementia. We carried out an assessment looking at all the quality statements and all key questions. Our decision to inspect the service was due to the age of the current rating. At our last assessment the service was good. At this inspection we found widespread concerns relating to infection control, medicine management, the care environment, and leadership of the service. The service is now rated requires improvement. We identified 2 breeches of regulation in regard to safe care and treatment and governance.
Accident and incidents were not robustly analysed to identify trends, patterns and areas to improve. Lessons were not routinely learnt when things went wrong. Risks associated with people’s care were not always managed to mitigate risk and keep people safe. Some care plan documentation lacked detailed information required to carry out tasks safely. People were not always protected from the risk and spread of infection. Some infection prevention and control practices required improvement. The care environment was not always safe. We identified large items of furniture had not been safely attached to walls, some bed rail bumpers were not fitted correctly, and some radiators were very hot to touch, but no risk assessment was in place to ensure people’s safety. Documentation identified people did not always receive their medicines as prescribed. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. Staff and leaders worked well with other professionals to ensure safe transitions when people moved between services.
We observed staff interacting with people and found they were kind and caring. People were offered choices regarding their daily life. Staff and leaders worked well in partnership with external professionals to ensure people received appropriate care and support which met their needs.
Governance systems in were not always effective in identifying areas for improvement. Management systems required reviewing and improving to ensure continuous improvement. During our inspection we identified concerns in regard to medicine management, infection prevention and control, safe environments and governance.
Following our inspection the provider took action to address the concerns we raised and sent evidence to support this such as a medication stock audit, and confirmation of environmental issues being addressed. However, systems and processes needed to be monitored and embedded in to practice to ensure sustainable improvements. We identified 2 breaches of regulation in regards to safe care and treatment and governance.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe living at Conifers nursing home. One person said, “Oh, I do yes, [when asked if felt safe], they’re [staff] all lovely people here.” Another person said, “They [staff] say if you want me, just buzz and [my relative] is satisfied.” People were confident staff would attend to them if they called for them. One person said, “They [staff] come quickly [when I call for them], even at night.” However, 1 person commented, “There never is [enough staff], if there’s 1 carer off, they don’t bring a carer in. They should have extra on in emergencies.” Another person said, “There’s just enough [staff], they could do with a couple more, sometimes they [staff] are a bit pushed.” A family member said, “I do think they’re [staff] rushed off their feet, they do work hard.” People told us staff were kind and caring and supported them in a thoughtful way. One person said, “They’re [staff] lovely.” Another person said, “Yes, they knock on the door [before entering the person’s bedroom].” People told us there was an activities co-ordinator and we saw the activities co-ordinator interacting with people on the day of our inspection. However, people told us activities were repetitive, with 1 person saying, “We play games every day.” Another person expressed they often became bored. People and relatives knew who the registered manager was and felt able to approach them if they had any concerns. One person said, “I would talk to [the manager] if I had any complaints.” People told us they were generally happy with the home and couldn’t think of anything the provider could improve on.