SENSE - 18 Water Gate

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 10 September 2025. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 24 June to 17 July 2025.

18 Water Gate is a ‘care home’ providing personal care and support to 5 people with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum, physical and sensory impairments. We announced the assessment as people and the staff who supported them often spent time away from the home and we wanted to be sure there was someone at the home.

We assessed a total of 10 quality statements from the safe, caring, effective, responsive and well-led key questions. During the inspection, we also did general observations and used the short observational framework for inspectors (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. At our last assessment, we rated the home good across the 5 key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. At this assessment, we found the service remained good.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. We found the provider was meeting the principles of this.

Right Support: People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. Staff knew people well and had been trained in behavioural de-escalation techniques. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs. Right Care: People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse and knew how to report abuse. The service had enough suitably skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Right Culture: People received compassionate care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well and acted upon their wishes. Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate.