Homelands Nursing Home

Homelands Nursing Home had made considerable progress since our last inspection in January 2025. People now received their medicines safely and as prescribed, and there was a policy in place to support safe and effective use of medicines. People were now protected from the risk of harm or abuse; staff were aware of how to reduce restrictive practices and escalated any concerns regarding unexplained bruises or injuries. Managers now appropriately referred incidents to the local authority safeguarding team.

Risks to people’s health were now being assessed and managed. However, we identified instances where risk assessments and care records were inconsistent or not updated with professional’s advice. Daily notes did not always echo the guidance in care plans, although staff did know people well and supported them in accordance with their assessed needs.

Works had been completed and some were ongoing to improve the environment, specifically the Coach House, risk assessments had been conducted to consider the impact this had on people. Environmental risks were not always assessed, for example, the stairwell gate had been removed without assessments undertaken to consider people’s safety regarding this decision.

Staff now received relevant training and supervisions were held to assess their knowledge. Staff told us they welcomed the additional training and their practice was also observed to explore additional training needs.

We observed enough staff to support people, staff delivered care with kindness and respect. People and relatives spoke positively about staff interactions. The provider had taken steps to promote people’s independence and choice, for example, by introducing pictorial menus and personalised activities.

People did receive person-centred care, however, documents did not always reflect people’s specific wishes. People and their relatives were being consulted on their support, care plans were being reviewed to include wishes, needs and preferences.

Staff now engaged more proactively with professionals and mostly followed their advice. Steps were being taken to strengthen integration between the Coach House and the Manor House to promote greater consistency across both settings.

The service was in a transitional period with a new management structure in place, they were supported by an external consultant. While visible leadership and staff engagement had improved, governance systems were not yet embedded. Internal audits were planned but had not commenced at the time of inspection, this limited the provider’s ability to proactively identify and address where systems required review and where further improvements were needed.

Although vast improvements had been made, we identified 2 continued breaches of legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance.