Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Care Quality Commission's 8 January assessment of Orchard Nursing Home, Huyton (1) took into full account of concerns that had been expressed to the Care Quality Commission about the care people received in the home, (2) measured the degree to which care plans were being followed, and (3) sufficiently evaluated the extent to which complaints were properly investigated.

As the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is operationally independent, the Government has not made its own assessment of individual CQC assessments.

The CQC has advised that its 8 January 2026 assessment of Orchard Nursing Home, Huyton included consideration of how residents and family members were supported to raise concerns and share their experiences, with inspectors finding a positive culture in which people felt able to speak up and confident that issues would be listened to and addressed. The CQC took into full account concerns raised about the care people received and noted improvements the service had made under new management.

The assessment also found evidence that care plans had improved, with personalised care plans developed before admission, routinely monitored, and reviewed regularly to reflect people’s needs and preferences.

In addition, inspectors considered how complaints were identified, investigated and responded to. A complaints policy was in place, information on how to raise concerns was accessible, and complaints were taken seriously, investigated appropriately, and used to support learning and ongoing improvement.