Handford House Care Home

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 4 August 2025. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

We visited the service 15 April to 23 April 2025. Handford House Care Home is a residential care home service providing support to up to 52 adults of all ages living with dementia, nursing needs and physical disabilities. At the time of our assessment, there were 36 people using the service.

At our last assessment in July 2024, this service was rated inadequate overall. The key questions for safe and well-led were rated inadequate and the key questions effective, caring and responsive were rated requires improvement. At that assessment we found multiple breaches of regulation, relating to safe care and treatment, good governance, consent, person centred care and staffing. The local authority had suspended making placements in the service due to concerns about the care provided, this resulted in vacancies.

Prior to this assessment, the local authority told us they had noted improvements in the service. During this assessment, the management team told us they had agreed a plan with the local authority to start placing people in the service again. The management team assured us the systems to calculate the staffing numbers required would continue to be assessed to ensure safe staffing levels. The management team were now providing staff with appraisals and supervisions and training in how to meet people’s needs was in place to reduce the risks of unsafe and inappropriate care.

At this assessment we found the provider had made improvements, which were ongoing and they were no longer in breach of regulation. All of the improvements had not yet been fully implemented, plans were in place for these going forward, such as more social activity for people and improvements in the environment. The provider had learned lessons and put measures in place to reduce future risks. All of the improvements made needed to be embedded in practice and sustained to ensure continuous positive impact for people was achieved.

Since our last assessment there had been a change in manager, the new manager had worked in the service since October 2024 and was enthusiastic about the improvements being made and planned for. The care provision was being monitored, which assisted the management team to identify and address shortfalls.

Managers investigated incidents, including analysis and lessons learned. Improvements had been made in how risks were managed to reduce the risk of avoidable harm. However, we identified gaps in the monitoring of people’s blood sugars, the management team assured us this was being addressed. Improvements had been made in the infection prevention and control processes. The facilities and equipment met people’s needs and were clean and well-maintained. There was an ongoing programme of refurbishment and redecoration. Staff managed medicines safely. The administration of creams, repositioning and the provision of fluids was kept under review daily and any shortfalls were identified and addressed.

People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. People had enough to eat and drink to stay healthy and people’s health was monitored to support healthy living. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff involved those important to people and took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. There were systems in place to support staff wellbeing, however, we received mixed views from staff about how they were being listened to and the morale in the service.

Staff provided information people could understand. There was a complaints procedure in place and complaints were managed in line with the provider’s procedure. People’s end of life decisions were now sought and documented. Improvements had been made in how people’s person centred care was being assessed, planned for and delivered, including how people and their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in decisions about their care. Ongoing improvements were being made in the provision of social activity.

During our assessment visits, we spoke with 13 staff members including the regional manager, service development and regulation director, manager, deputy manager, and care, nursing, activities, domestic, and catering staff. We received electronic feedback from 6 staff members and spoke with 1 on the telephone. We reviewed the care plans of 4 people who used the service and several medicines records. We reviewed 3 staff recruitment files. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service including monitoring systems, complaints, staff training and the staff rota.

This service has been in Special Measures since our last assessment report of July 2024 which was published in December 2024. The provider demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.