Belong Chester

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 23 January 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 3 November to 2 December 2025. Belong Chester is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 75 adults with a range of needs, including people living with dementia. At the time of our assessment, 61 people were using the service. The assessment was carried out in response to emerging risks.

The provider was in breach of the legal regulations relating to safe care and treatment, and good governance.

People were not always provided with safe care and treatment. The provider did not always manage medicines safely. Oral and personal care were not always completed or recorded in line with people’s preferences. Recent safeguarding incidents highlighted some shortfalls, including concerns around documentation and the recording of care notes.

The environment was generally safe; however, we identified areas where infection prevention control (IPC) and general cleanliness required improvement.

Staff did not always receive regular supervision, and we identified areas where training could be improved to support the safer delivery of care to people.

Governance systems and processes were not always effective in assessing, monitoring and improving the performance, quality and safety of services provided. Some audits were in place and completed regularly, however, medication audits had not identified some of the concerns we found. Staff did not always understand their roles and responsibilities. Improvements were needed to some care plans to ensure they were up to date and contained relevant information to reflect people’s preferences and needs. We found some care plans were missing for people with specific health needs.

However, people were treated with kindness and compassion. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. People were encouraged to be independent and had access to a variety of activities. The provider had a good learning culture, with leaders and staff sharing vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. We were assured the management team were responsive to the feedback provided and were already working on an action plan. They demonstrated awareness of the areas requiring improvement and took appropriate action in response to the concerns identified. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns we found.