Sotwell Hill House

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

Date of Assessment: 15 April 2026 to 12 May 2026. Sotwell Hill House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 36 older people. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the service.

We carried out this inspection to follow up on the Warning Notices previously issued to the provider and to assess whether the required improvements had been made.

At our previous inspection, the provider was found to be in breach of safe care and treatment. Improvements had been found at this inspection, and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

Improvements were needed to ensure care records were consistently accurate and up to date to fully support safe and coordinated care, however staff demonstrated a proactive approach to managing risks across care journeys. The provider remained in breach of good governance, as systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service were not consistently effective.

Environmental issues were identified during the inspection, including emergency access control, and maintenance of safe environments. The provider took action to address the concerns found during inspection.

Care delivered reflected people’s needs and preferences in practice, and people spoke positively about aspects such as food and support with eating and drinking. There was a stable and sufficiently staffed team who provided consistent and responsive care.

The provider promoted an open culture where staff felt able to raise concerns. Systems supported timely access to services and positive outcomes, and care was delivered in a flexible and responsive way.

Governance systems were not consistently effective in ensuring oversight, accountability and compliance. During the inspection we identified issues, including gaps in recruitment records, training oversight, safeguarding processes, risk management and care planning, had not always been addressed or sustained. Audit processes had not consistently ensured actions were completed or embedded, reducing assurance risks were effectively managed and improvements maintained.

The provider remained in breach of good governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.