A KIDDERMINSTER care home has received a good Care Quality Commission (CQC) report just six months after it was placed in special measures amid concerns for safety.
The CQC published a damning report against Nightingale Court Care Home after a visit in September 2025, during which it claimed it found evidence indicating people were ‘at risk of harm.’
An unannounced follow-up assessment took place between February 26 and March 9, after which the safety and well-led sections of the assessment criteria were upgraded to good from last year’s ‘inadequate’ verdict, while the caring section, which previously ‘required improvement’, was also rated good.
On the other two criteria, effective and responsive, the care home retained its ‘good’ rating.
Concerns, according to last year’s report, were regarding governance of the service, management of medicines, record keeping and management of accidents and incidents.
Far Fillimore Care Homes Ltd, which took over the care home in October 2025, told the CQC that significant improvements had been made since the last assessment and requested a review.
At the time of the assessment, the service supported 20 people, down from 31 just six months before.
During the assessment, inspectors reviewed care records, spoke with four people living in the home, five members of staff and four relatives.
Inspectors found the new owner had introduced systems to strengthen the home’s governance and implemented a more robust lessons‑learned process after each incident, which helped reduce the number of falls and ensured people were being supported safely.
A new care‑planning system has also been rolled out gradually to ensure staff received appropriate training and that detailed plans were accurately transferred.
The CQC added: “People now had detailed mental capacity assessments and best‑interests decisions in place.
“This helped ensure their wishes were respected, and that support was person‑centred.
“There was clear evidence that the home had involved individuals, and where appropriate, their relatives and external professionals, in these assessments.
“The ground floor has been refurbished, creating a welcoming and homely setting.
“As part of these works, the provider also redesigned aspects of the layout to enhance safety and better support residents who were at higher risk of falls.”
The most recent report also noted that improvements were ongoing, with a new manager being appointed as well as an activities co‑ordinator, with a second one currently being recruited.
