Skip to content
The Care Home DirectoryEvery care home in England

CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at The Churchley Rest Home Limited

Requires improvementpublished 25 November 2025, 10 months ago

Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, December 2019

Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, personalised care but problems with consent, medicines checks and quality monitoring.

The inspection was unannounced and took place on 22 October 2019. Inspectors spoke with seven people, two relatives, staff and managers. They observed care and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.

People generally felt safe and well cared for. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, clean premises, kind staff, personalised care, activities and good support with food and healthcare.

There were important weaknesses. One person who had capacity to decide was not supported to leave the home when they wished to return home. Medicines checks did not find two medicines that should have been disposed of, and some audits had not identified these problems.

The overall rating fell from Good to Requires Improvement. Safe, Caring and Responsive were rated Good. Effective and Well-led were rated Requires Improvement.

What inspectors praised
  • Kind and respectful staff

    People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff supported independence and knew people's preferences and needs.

    “People were supported by staff who were patient, kind and friendly. Positive caring relationships had been developed.” from the report
  • People felt safe

    Risks were identified and managed, staff understood safeguarding and there were enough staff to meet people's needs.

    “People told us they felt safe living at the home.” from the report
  • Personalised care

    Care plans included detailed information about people's preferences, communication needs and how they wished to be supported.

    “Care plans were written in a person-centred way and contained detailed information about people, their preferences, and how they wished to be supported.” from the report
  • Activities and relationships

    People had a range of activities and were supported to keep in touch with family, friends and community interests.

    “People were happy with the activities planned for them.” from the report
  • Clean home

    Inspectors found the home clean and fresh, with staff using protective equipment during personal care.

    “The home was clean and smelled fresh.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Consent and choice

    serious

    One person wanted to return to their own home and had capacity to make this decision, but staff did not act promptly. The person was prevented from living at home without lawful authority.

    “The provider had not assessed the person's needs in a timely manner or assessed their capacity to make a decision in relation to them staying at the home.” from the report
  • Medicines checks

    needs fixing

    Two medicines in the refrigerator had not been disposed of when required. A medicines trolley was also left with tablets on top while it was unattended, although inspectors said this did not pose a risk at the time.

    “There was no detailed medicines audit, although there was a book which recorded the disposal of medicines and medicines coming into the home.” from the report
  • Weak quality monitoring

    needs fixing

    The home's audits did not identify the consent and medicines problems found during the inspection. This meant the management checks were not consistently effective.

    “Audits had not been effective in identifying that these were areas in need of improvement.” from the report
  • Limited formal meetings

    minor

    Residents' meetings were not regular and staff meetings took place annually. Inspectors noted that people and staff were also asked for views informally.

    “Residents' meetings did not take place on a regular basis, but people were asked for their views about the home on a more informal basis.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What action have you taken to make sure each person's capacity and consent to stay at the home are assessed promptly?
  2. 02How do you support a person who has capacity and wants to leave the home?
  3. 03What medicines audit is now in place, and how do you check that expired or unwanted medicines are removed and disposed of?
  4. 04How do your quality checks identify problems that may not be found through routine audits?
  5. 05How often do you now hold residents' and staff meetings, and how are suggestions followed up?

This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the premises and care provided; the previous Good rating had changed because of the findings at this inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 December 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, February 2017

Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, but the home’s leadership and quality checks required improvement.

Inspectors visited unannounced on 11 January 2017. They spoke with people living in the home, visitors, care staff and the provider. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff records, audits and incidents. They also observed care, lunch and medicines being given.

The home was rated Good for safe, effective, caring and responsive care. People were protected from harm, received their medicines safely, had suitable food and healthcare, and were treated with kindness and respect. Care plans reflected people's needs and preferences, and people could choose activities and how they spent their time.

The home was rated Requires Improvement for well-led. The provider had created quality checks after the previous inspection, but these had not yet been put into practice or embedded. The earlier breaches had been resolved, including concerns about medicines, nutrition monitoring, policies and notifications to CQC.

What inspectors praised
  • Safe medicines support

    Medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely. Staff were trained and their competence had been checked.

    “People received their medicines on time and according to their preferences, from staff with the necessary training and who had their competence assessed.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Inspectors saw warm relationships between staff and people. Staff respected privacy, dignity, choices and independence.

    “People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff were caring and respectful in their approach” from the report
  • Individual care planning

    Care plans included people's social, emotional, physical and health needs, along with their interests and preferences. People and relatives were involved in planning and reviews.

    “Care plans contained information about peoples' interests, hobbies and employment history and provided staff with an insight into peoples' lives” from the report
  • Food and drink

    People said they were happy with the quality, quantity and choice of food and drink. Staff respected people's preferred place to eat and offered alternatives.

    “People told us they were happy with the quality, quantity and choice of food available.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Quality checks not embedded

    needs fixing

    The provider had obtained external help to create quality assurance audits, but these had not yet been put into practice. This meant the home needed stronger oversight of whether care systems were effective.

    “Quality assurance processes to ensure the delivery of high quality care and drive improvement had been devised but were yet to be implemented or embedded in practice.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Have the quality assurance audits now been implemented, and how often are they completed?
  2. 02What changes were made after the previous concerns about medicines, and how do you check that medicines records remain accurate?
  3. 03How do you monitor people's food, drink and weight if they are at risk of malnutrition?
  4. 04How are people's care plans reviewed when their needs, preferences or health change?

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, including care records, medicines, staffing, incidents, quality audits and observations of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 February 2017 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.

The story over the years

Every inspection of The Churchley Rest Home Limited

3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.

  1. December 2019Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read what inspectors found at The Churchley Rest Home Limited →

  2. February 2017Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read what inspectors found at The Churchley Rest Home Limited →

  3. January 2016Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. August 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. January 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. January 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. January 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. November 2010

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 November 2010.

Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.

Next steps

Weigh the report against the rest

Care at home

46 live-in carers within about an hour of Brighton and Hove

These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.

Most charge £1,020 to £1,280 a week. 37 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.

“Lottie showed incredible patience and empathy, adapting her routine to fit in with Mum's moods. Most importantly, Lottie's cheerful manner helped Mum to get some enjoyment out of life.”
Claire W., about Charlotte H.
“He was infinitely patient with them and got on very well with us to the extent that we now regard him as a personal friend.”
Ivana P., about Nikolaos (Nick) K.
See live-in carers near Brighton and HoveProfiles, rates and reviews are free to look at.

Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.