St Mary's Care Home

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 Assessment: 4 February to 10 March 2026.

The service is a nursing home providing support to adults of all ages living with learning and physical disabilities. It also supports older people and people living with a dementia.

This assessment was carried out because of the rating and breach of legal regulation found at our previous visit. These breaches related to the good governance and management of the service and person-centred care. At this latest assessment we found a breach of legal regulation in relation to consent and a continuing breach of regulation in relation to good governance.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

The environment did not yet reflect best practice for smaller, homely settings and the current size and layout remained inconsistent with ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance. Action was being taken to address this, but it had not been embedded when we visited. Premises safety was not always assured and we found shortfalls in mental capacity and best interests decisions, including a serious incident where a person left the home unsupervised overnight. Governance systems had not consistently identified or addressed all concerns. Training on supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people was not yet at the required level for all staff, but action was taken to address this during the assessment.

People, relatives and staff were overwhelmingly positive about the day‑to‑day support, describing kind and caring staff, strong relationships and a culture where the registered manager and deputy were visible and approachable. People were supported to attend college, do voluntary work and take part in a wide range of activities, including work to develop independent living skills. External professionals reported notable improvements for some individuals and local authority reviewers and learning disability teams described a vibrant, friendly atmosphere.

People's experience of this service

People told us they generally felt happy living at the service and described warm, friendly relationships with staff. Several people said they were able to make choices about their daily routines, with 1 person sharing, “I love it here.” Families also reported that their relatives were safe and well cared for, with 1 relative commenting, “They take good care of her.”

Throughout our visits, we observed positive, respectful interactions. Staff offered reassurance and gentle encouragement, including supporting people to make their own drinks, choose meals, and engage socially. People appeared relaxed and comfortable spending time together, chatting across tables or participating in small group activities. During an evening visit, the atmosphere was sociable, with people choosing when to go to bed and some ordering a takeaway together.

Relatives described staff as kind and approachable, saying the registered manager was accessible and responsive. One relative told us, “The manager’s door is always open, he’s lovely.” Families also felt informed about health needs, with examples of staff supporting people to attend health appointments and encouraging independence with daily living tasks where possible.

We used the short observational framework for inspection (SOFI) to observe interactions and gain an understanding of the support people received. People were happy at the service and got on well with the staff supporting them.