Troubled Banbury nursing home has made improvements to give it a 'good' CQC rating

Banbury Heights Nursing Home, in Old Parr Road, Banbury had been struggling to reverse a ‘requires improvement’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over the past two years.

Corrections made by management were recognised by CQC inspectors last summer but the home was told it needed further improvements.

Early this month the commission released the results of the most recent assessment, made between September – October last year, to follow up on its concerns. And a ‘good’ rating has been awarded to the home with the exception of the ‘safe’ element, which still ‘requires improvement’.

"We assessed quality statements under safe and well-led key questions. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations,” the report said.

"New systems and processes to maintain people’s safety had been implemented. However the provider’s governance still needed some improvements and embedding. The scores for the areas assessed have been combined with scores based on the key question ratings from the last assessment.”

Banbury Heights Nursing Home is a residential service providing personal and nursing care to up to 58 people. It is registered to provide support to older and younger people including people living with dementia, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, mental health needs, autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

"At the time of our inspection there were 40 people living at the service. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted,” inspectors said.

“People told us they felt safe at the service and they were well cared for. People told us their call bells were responded to and they appreciated where staff could not necessarily respond immediately it was because of the need to help others.

"People told us their healthcare needs were being met and they were able to see a GP if they asked or if their health required a GP to visit them at the home.

"People confirmed their family members were able to unrestrictedly visit them at the service. While the people we spoke to expressed that they were generally happy with their care, our assessment found elements of care did not meet the expected standards. in relation to risks to people.”

Banbury Heights was inspected by the CQC in 2022 after receiving concerns in relation to how people's nursing needs were monitored and met, staffing numbers and skills and the overall management of the service. The home was given a ‘requires improvement’ rating. It had changed from a ‘good’ rating in 2019.

The CQC worked alongside Banbury Heights with an action plan to resolve the issues highlighted. In June 2023, inspectors report continued concern over care of patients at Banbury Heights after a second visit in 12 months.

In August 2024, the CQC found the home had made corrections following its negative ratings but it needed further improvements to safety and how well the organisation is run. This latest assessment has shown a ‘good’ rating in all departments but ‘safe’.