Sahara Gardens

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 1 April 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment 4 and 6 February 2026. Sahara Gardens is a residential care home supporting 5 people with a learning disability and/or autism.

We have undertaken a comprehensive inspection which means we have reviewed all 33 quality statements. The previous CQC rating for this service was good. Following this inspection, we have rated the service as good for safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, leading to a good overall rating for the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and access to communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is a guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people which providers must adhere to.

Care plans were well written and described in detail what support people needed. The information was written respectfully and took into consideration both the needs and wishes of people who received support. Plans highlighted what support a person needed as well as information about equipment a person would need, such as mobility aids to ensure the support was safe.

Risk assessments were clear and were assessed covering all parts of what a person did throughout their day, balancing risk but also with an emphasis on maintaining the person’s independence skills.

People were engaged with meaningful activities which included a choice of planned leisure activities throughout the day, either at home or things people might want to do within their local community.

Staff had worked at the service for a long time and knew the people they supported well. Staff engaged with warmth and respect towards the people living in the service. The staff were experienced and they received comprehensive training which helped them meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited in accordance with legislation which meant all necessary checks were undertaken before employment commenced. The service did not use any staff unfamiliar to the people who lived in the home. The registered manager told us that they had a stable staff team and had not needed to recruit for over 2 years.

The provider had a competent registered manager and deputy manager. Both managers had many years experience working in care and had worked in the service for a long time.