Skip to content
The Care Home DirectoryEvery care home in England

CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Camber Lodge

Goodpublished 15 March 2022, 4 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found clear safeguarding procedures, individual risk assessments, enough staff and safe recruitment. Some as-required medicine instructions were unclear, but these were reviewed and updated immediately after the inspection.
Effective?
Good
Staff had the training, knowledge and support needed to care for people. People were supported with consent, eating and drinking, health appointments and individual communication needs.
Caring?
Good
Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. They understood people's communication, choices and personalities, and supported independence, friendships and family contact.
Responsive?
Good
Care was personalised and adapted to people's routines, preferences and changing needs. People were supported to communicate, take part in activities, use local amenities and maintain relationships.
Well-led?
Good
Inspectors found open and supportive leadership, good oversight and a strong team spirit. The provider had invested in the home, but some environmental safety records and care records still needed to be standardised or improved.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, March 2022

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with some records needing improvement.

Inspectors visited on 03 February 2022. They spoke with people, staff, relatives and visiting professionals. They observed care and checked care records, medicine records, recruitment files, training information and management records.

All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough safely recruited staff, suitable safeguarding arrangements, safe medicine support and a well-maintained environment. People were supported to make choices, communicate, stay healthy and take part in activities.

The home was described as warm and supportive. Staff knew people well and promoted their independence, dignity and relationships. Inspectors found some unclear instructions for medicines given when needed, and said some safety and care records still needed improvement. The unclear medicine instructions were updated immediately after the visit.

What inspectors praised
  • Safe staffing and safeguarding

    There were enough staff to meet people's individual needs, and recruitment checks were completed. Staff understood safeguarding procedures and how to report concerns.

    “There were enough staff, who had been safely recruited, working in the service.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Staff knew people well and built trusting relationships. They supported people's dignity, choices, communication and independence.

    “People were treated with kindness and were understood by staff who knew them well and respected people as unique individuals.” from the report
  • Choice and meaningful activities

    People were supported to shape their daily routines and take part in activities, trips and community life that mattered to them.

    “People were central to everything and made their own decisions about how they spent their time and lived their lives.” from the report
  • Open leadership

    The registered manager promoted an open culture and worked with people, relatives, staff and professionals. The provider had invested in improving the home and its systems.

    “The culture of the service was open, honest and focused around supporting people to live their lives the way they wanted to.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Some medicine instructions were unclear

    needs fixing

    Instructions for some as-required medicines did not clearly tell staff what to do. The home reviewed and updated them immediately after the inspection.

    “Guidelines on PRN medicines were in place, but some did not give clear instructions, these were reviewed and updated immediately after the inspection visit” from the report
  • Records still needed improvement

    minor

    Records confirming regular environmental safety checks needed to be standardised. Some people's records also needed to better reflect the person-centred care provided.

    “records confirming regular environmental safety checks needed to be standardised.” from the report
  • Care records needed more detail

    minor

    Inspectors said people's records needed further attention so they fully reflected the personalised approach staff provided.

    “Peoples records also needed further attention to ensure they fully reflected the person-centred approach provided.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you now check that instructions for as-required medicines are clear and up to date?
  2. 02How do you record and review regular environmental safety checks?
  3. 03How do you make sure each person's care records reflect their current preferences, needs and personalised support?
  4. 04What staffing levels are provided during the day and at night, including when agency staff are used?
  5. 05How are people's communication needs and choices recorded and shared with new staff?

This was the first comprehensive inspection of the newly registered service and covered all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 March 2022 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 Camber Lodge

5 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.

  1. March 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Camber Lodge →

  2. November 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
  3. November 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
  4. December 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
  5. December 2016Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  6. October 2020

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 October 2020.

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

19 live-in carers within about an hour of East Sussex

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 £1,000 to £1,400 a week. 13 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.

“When he point blank refused to go into hospital for a life saving blood transfusion she talked him through the situation and agreed to go in the ambulance with him and stayed until he was settled.”
Clare S., about Mihaela B.
“Una felt safe, secure and loved in her time with Debbie which is a gift that I am eternally grateful for.”
Tisana S., about Debra S.
See live-in carers near East SussexProfiles, 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.