Fornham House Residential Home

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 19 May 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Dates of inspection: 31 March and 1 April 2026. Fornham House Residential Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 88 older people, including people living with dementia. At this inspection there were 77 people living at the service.

The service had effective systems in place to assess, plan and review people’s care. Risk assessments were completed and regularly reviewed, and staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure people received appropriate and timely support. Medicines were well managed, with robust systems for administration, auditing and competency. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s assessed needs, and staff were appropriately trained and supported through supervision and development opportunities.

Care was delivered in a caring and compassionate way. We observed consistently warm, respectful interactions between staff and people throughout the inspection. People were supported to maintain their independence and make everyday choices about their care, routines and activities. The provider demonstrated particularly strong practice in workforce wellbeing, creating a positive, supportive culture where staff felt valued and enabled to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.

The service was highly responsive to people’s needs. Staff showed creativity and flexibility in adapting activities, routines and approaches to ensure people remained meaningfully engaged, even when needs were complex or changing. People’s feedback was actively listened to and used to improve experiences. Leaders demonstrated persistence and compassion in supporting people whose needs had been difficult for other services to meet, often achieving significant positive outcomes.

The registered manager and deputy manager were highly visible, approachable and engaged in the day-to-day life of the home. Governance systems were effective in identifying and responding to risks, and leaders acted promptly when concerns were highlighted.However, the environment and infection prevention and control required improvement. The inspection identified several areas of the service that were in a poor state of repair, with worn furnishings and cleanliness issues that placed people at risk of harm and infection. Although leaders took immediate action during the inspection to address these concerns and shared plans for more extensive refurbishment, the condition of the environment at the time of inspection demonstrated that action had not always been taken in a timely way.