- Care home
Champion House
Assessment report published 23 December 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 21 October 2025 to 12 November 2025. The assessment was triggered in response to concerns raised at the last inspection Champion House is a Care Home with Nursing that can accommodate up to 27 people who require support with nursing or personal care needs, some of whom have a may have a physical disability or learning disability. At the time of our assessment, there were 21 people living at the service.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. At the time of the assessment, the service was not used by anyone with a primary learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.
At the last assessment we identified breaches of 5 regulations relating to person-centred care, safe care and treatment, staffing, recruitment and good governance. Risks associated with people's care had not been assessed effectively, medicines were not always managed safely, and systems had not been effective in identifying concerns. People did not always experience safe pathways and transitions between services. At this assessment we found improvements had been made.
The service demonstrated progress in several areas, particularly in the reporting and review of accidents, incidents, and falls. Information about individual needs and associated risks was gathered from people and those involved in their care, although participation in care reviews and risk assessments was not always clear.
Staff morale was noted to have improved, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere within the service.
Recruitment processes were confirmed as safe, and care plans now provide sufficient detail to support safe and effective care delivery. End-of-life plans were also in place and reflected people’s wishes. Protocols for medicines prescribed on an as-required basis were available, but some lacked adequate guidance for staff on when and how to administer these medicines. No harm was caused to people.
Although staff had completed training, a small number of staff couldn’t demonstrate a full understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, and this was raised with the manager to ensure principles are fully embedded. Feedback from individuals and families regarding involvement in care planning was mixed; some felt engaged, while others reported limited participation or understanding. Similarly, reviews of activities showed mixed feedback, with some people and families stating they were not involved in relative meetings or care reviews. However we found people and their families had been involved in the care planning and risk assessment processes. People were observed being actively involved in activities.
Quality assurance systems have been introduced to monitor care delivery and people’s experiences, including audits of risk assessments, care records, daily notes, and medication charts. While these systems have improved oversight, these have not yet become embedded to ensure long-term effectiveness.
People's experience of this service
Feedback from people living at Champion House indicated uncertainty regarding their involvement in care planning. Several people expressed that they had not seen their care documentation or were unsure if they had been involved in its development. However, we saw evidence of people and their families involved in these. People’s comments included, "I have never seen my care documentation," and "I can’t remember the last time I saw any of my care documentation," and "I can’t really say if I have been involved with my care documents or not."
Views on activities within and outside the home were mixed. Some people felt that opportunities were limited, particularly due to logistical constraints such as transport availability. One person said, "There are not enough drivers available for the minibus. I find this very restrictive, as when there is something you need to leave the home for, there isn’t always someone available to support this." Another person rated the activity provision as 3 to 4 out of 10, stating, "There isn’t enough going on." A further person commented, "There is nothing going on that I would be interested in. I keep myself to myself." However, at the time of our assessment the activity coordinator was on leave. We observed staff interaction with people through activities in the home, we also saw displays throughout the home of activities throughout the year.
People told us they felt safe at Champion House and spoke positively about staff support. They felt able to raise concerns and were confident that staff supported them in managing risks appropriately. One person shared, "I feel very safe living at the home. The staff are very helpful." Another person said, "The staff are generally very pleasant. I have not had a problem with anyone since I arrived."