St Stephens Care Home

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 24 April 2025. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of Assessment: 4 February 2025. The service is a residential care home providing support to older people including those living with dementia and nursing needs and can accommodate up to 41 people. Thirty-eight people were being supported at the time of our assessment. This assessment was prompted due to the amount of time that had elapsed since the last assessment. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to safe care and treatment, premises and equipment, governance and staffing. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider is no longer in breach of regulation. We assessed quality statements from the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. The assessment of these quality statements indicated areas which requires improvement. The overall rating is good. Since the last inspection, there had been a change in manager. The manager had worked hard to overhaul governance processes to help drive up improvements in the safety and quality of care being provided. Further time was required to ensure improved practices were embedded. Overall, the service was clean however, the main kitchen area and kitchenettes were unclean. The provider took action to resolve the issue on the day of our assessment. The service was well maintained, although some adaptations were required to enhance the environment for those people living with dementia. The garden area also required some maintenance and tidying up. The provider had already identified these issues, and a plan was in place to resolve them. The provider had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks to people. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Managers ensured staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care.