- Care home
The Shrubbery
Assessment report published 18 December 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: Wednesday 28 May 2025.
Reason for assessment: This assessment was carried out in response to concerns about potential poor management of risk.
The Shrubbery is a care home providing personal care for up to 30 people. At the time of this assessment 28 people were living in the home. The service is a residential care home providing support to older people, and older people living with dementia. The service is also registered to support people with a learning disability and autistic people.At the time of the assessment, the service was supporting 1 person with a learning disability.
People were not always supported to make their own choices and take risks. The provider had a culture of people being supported out of bed before they were ready to get up in the morning. This was not person-centred care. Staff provided information people could understand. The provider was not always responsive to people’s changing or immediate needs. Although, we saw the provider had made referrals appropriately to health care professionals when needed. Staff treated people kindly. The provider’s culture encouraged people and staff to feedback on the care provided and speak up about concerns. Staff felt supported and treated fairly by the management team. However, we raised concerns over the lack of regular engagement and social activities available to people. People were protected against harm and supported safely by a dedicated and experienced staff team. Staff understood and managed risk appropriately. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. The provider worked effectively in partnership with other health professionals and followed their recommendations
The provider was responsive to our feedback and shared plans to improve social engagement for people living in the home. However, the service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to governance and person-centred care.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe living in the home. However, some people told us they couldn’t maintain their independence. People were encouraged to provide feedback or raise concerns openly with the staff team and they felt staff acted on their feedback. Several people described how staff treated them kindly and ensured their privacy and dignity were respected. One person said, “I do feel safe here because there are staff around at night.”
However, we saw staff were often task focused and did not appear to have time to socially engage with people. People told us that staff are not always consistent in terms of responding to people’s immediate needs. When we spoke to people about activities and engagement, they told us more activity provision and social engagement was required in the home and within the local community.People were involved in decisions about their care and health professionals were contacted as and when required and people said staff supported them to attend medical appointments. Relatives told us the provider kept them updated and effectively communicated any changes in people’s health or support needs. We made observations in communal areas to understand people’s experience of care, for those unable to speak with us, as well as speaking with those who were able.