Heathlands Care Centre

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 17 April 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment – 17 and 18 November 2025

Heathlands Care Centre provides residential and nursing care to up to 46 people in a purpose-built building, set over 2 floors. There were 26 people living at the service at the time of our inspection. We found 2 breaches of regulations related to safe care and treatment and governance.

We found improvements had been made to the quality and safety of care people received since our last inspection. However, we identified work was required in some areas to ensure regulations were fully met. Increased oversight of systems was needed to ensure risks to people's safe care were monitored, that people’s records were detailed and consistent, that the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were fully embedded, and recruitment checks were robust. Although daily checks of the environment were completed, not all concerns had been identified and acted upon to ensure people’s safety.

People, relatives, staff and partner agencies gave consistently positive feedback regarding the manager of the service and the changes made. However, on-site support was not regularly available to the manager which created gaps in the managerial oversight and concerns regarding sustainability. The manager had been the only management presence in the service since September 2025, with only occasional short visits from the provider. This lack of management support had led to gaps in quality assurance systems and meant a number of actions had not been met in line with the providers action plan. The service had received a high level of support from the local authority and healthcare partners to improve people’s quality of life and safety. They had worked cohesively to ensure changes were embedded into practice.

Systems were in place to monitor accidents and incidents and ensure lessons were learnt. Clear reporting processes were followed, and themes were analysed to minimise the risk of reoccurrence. The service worked closely with the local authority safeguarding team to investigate and monitor any concerns. Medicines were managed safely with regular checks being completed to identify any errors promptly.

Staff told us they felt supported and valued in their roles. Enhanced training had been provided which had helped staff to develop a greater understanding of their role. Staff worked as a team and communicated openly about any concerns. There was a positive culture throughout the staff team which had a clear impact on the support people received.

This service has been in Special Measures since July 2022. 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.