Business & Technology
Care home named among UK best found to ‘require improvement’
Richmond Villages in Coral Springs Way was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which was prompted by concerns raised about the facility.
The care home was found to ‘require improvement’ in safety, effectiveness, and leadership.
During the assessment one resident told the CQC: “Sometimes the staff will come in, turn off the buzzer and say they’ll be back in five minutes and sometimes you never see them again or you can wait up to an hour if they are very busy.”
The home, which provides nursing support for adults of all ages with dementia, nursing needs, and physical disabilities, was found to be in breach of regulations regarding good governance.
The CQC’s report, published in April 2025, highlighted issues with the logging of accidents and incidents, noting that learning and actions to prevent recurrence were not always implemented.
It also found that staff were not always documenting mental capacity assessment and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) appropriately.
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Care plans and risk assessments related to the health, safety, and welfare of service users were often inconsistent or missing altogether, according to the report.
Concerns were raised by residents and staff about response times to call bells and staffing levels, suggesting that support was not always provided when needed.
However, the CQC did find that medicines were managed well and that staff were suitably employed and trained.
There was also a new home manager in place with plans to improve working relationships and ways of working.
The care home was inspected in January 2025 and, in the interim between the inspection and the report’s publication, Richmond Villages was named in the 2025 top 20 best mid-size care home groups in the UK by CareHome.co.uk.
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The independent online guide ranks care homes across the country based on reviews submitted by residents, families, and friends of those in care.
At the time, Martin Crick, village manager at Richmond Villages Witney, said: “We are thrilled with the latest rating announcement from carehome.co.uk.
“The award is testament to the high-quality care provided to our residents.
“The reviews that make up our rating emphasise our person-centred care model, range of living options, wellness programmes, and experienced staff that contribute to our success.”
The care home was praised for its cleanliness and adherence to PPE guidelines.
Richmond Villages has been operating for more than 25 years and is part of Bupa.
In Witney, a range of care is provided, including dementia, nursing, and residential care, as well as specialised care for various conditions.
Richmond Villages has been approached for a comment.
The two retail units in Bicester’s Sheep Street have been listed together, along with storage accommodation and three self contained flats.
Bicester Toys and Thorntons chocolate shop represent “long-standing” retail occupiers according to estate agency Carter Jonas with a combined rental income of £91,260 per annum across the properties.
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Indeed, the toy shop is a popular destination in the town with a 4.1 star rating based on over 60 Google Reviews.
Mr Cowell visited the shop in February this year, reportedly to buy Lego for his son.
The TV star is known for his appearances as a talent show judge, starring on the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol over the years.
He now lives in Oxfordshire with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman, as well as his child, Eric.
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A fellow shopper at Bicester Toys described him as “very friendly”.
Andy Rumney said: “He was also very happy to chat to us about our four year old Shih-Poo called Tilly as he’s a huge dog lover, and they had their dog with them which was a lovely German Shepherd.
“He was also very happy happy to chat to the staff in the shop as apparently he’s in there a lot buying Lego for his son.”
Atos has compiled the 2026-27 Premier League fixture list, continuing a role it has held since the league’s launch in 1992.
The latest schedule extends a long-running arrangement under which Atos has supported the planning of 13,166 Premier League matches involving 51 clubs across 34 seasons.
Producing the fixture list begins at the start of the year and typically takes about six months. Computer systems generate an initial schedule, which specialists then revise against league rules and operational constraints.
Those rules limit long runs of home or away matches and aim to balance home and away games across any five-match sequence. Clubs are also not supposed to start or finish a season with two home games or two away games.
Beyond those rules, the schedule must account for local rivalries, policing capacity and transport pressures. Planning also seeks to reduce travel demands for supporters during periods such as Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Even small changes can affect a wider set of matches, requiring further adjustments elsewhere in the calendar. This year’s list also placed greater emphasis on player welfare and the need for recovery time between matches in an increasingly crowded football schedule.
Glenn Thompson, Fixture-List Compiler at Atos UK&I, has compiled the Premier League fixtures for more than 30 years. He said the work can narrow to a final manual review after the technology has processed large numbers of possible outcomes.
“There are pinch points in the process where it can become stressful, culminating in several days in a room manually checking for any issues that may have cropped up. The whole process is complex, involving many different data points. Ultimately, you can’t satisfy everyone, and it is a compromise across all clubs without favouring any one club,” Thompson said.
Sports work
Atos has maintained a Sports and Major Events division for more than 30 years. It also works with football bodies outside the Premier League, including UEFA’s national team competitions and CONMEBOL’s domestic club competitions in South America.
The group operates in 54 countries and employs about 56,000 people. It reported annual revenue of about EUR €7.2 billion at its go-forward perimeter.
Michael Herron, Head of Atos UK&I, linked the annual fixture release to the start of the new football season for supporters.
“For millions of fans, the release of the Premier League fixture list is when a new season really comes to life. We’re proud to support the Premier League and are looking forward to another exciting season ahead,” Herron said.
Established in 1972, Sevenoaks Sound and Vision is one of the largest independent Hi-Fi and Home Cinema retailers in the UK.
The company set up shop in Oxford on Banbury Road, but closed down recently.
Their website describes themselves as “a unique, first-class experience.”
“All of this is supported by a custom installation service which specialises in the creation and installation of bespoke home entertainment systems to suit all budgets.”
The company still has stores in Bristol, Bromley, Cambridge, Chelsea, Cheltenham, Epsom, Guildford, London, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich, Nottingham, Reading, Tunbridge Wells, Witham, and Yeovil.
They also have their flagship store in Seven Oaks, near Kent, and are opening a new store in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham.
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