Skip to content
The Care Home DirectoryEvery care home in England

CQC report explained · a nursing home

What the CQC found at Eaton Lodge Nursing Home

Requires improvementpublished 4 February 2026, 8 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, January 2022

Eaton Lodge Nursing Home was rated Good after inspectors found safer, more personalised care, although some management improvements were still in progress.

Inspectors made an unannounced focused inspection on 14 December 2021. They spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff, and checked care records, medicines, recruitment files and management records.

The home was rated Good for Safe, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable risk assessments and improved care plans that recorded people's routines, choices and preferences.

People said they felt safe and that staff were kind and caring. The home was clean, infection control measures were in place, complaints were investigated and people were supported to keep in touch with family and follow their interests.

The overall rating improved from Requires Improvement to Good. Inspectors said the home had made enough improvement to no longer be in breach of Regulation 17, although the new manager was still registering with the CQC and some improvements were continuing.

What inspectors praised
  • Safe staffing

    Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Regular agency staff covered vacancies and knew the people they supported.

    “There were enough staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
  • Personalised care plans

    Care plans had been improved so they included people's routines, choices and preferences. Staff supported people in the way they preferred.

    “Care plans now contained details about people's choices and preference including their routines.” from the report
  • Medicines and risk management

    Medicines were administered, stored and recorded safely. Risks such as falls, wounds, diabetes and the use of equipment had been assessed.

    “Medicines were managed safely. Nurses administered people's medicines, they received refresher training and their competency was checked.” from the report
  • Family relationships

    People were supported to keep in touch with relatives through visits, video calls and telephone calls. They could also take part in community activities where appropriate.

    “People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them.” from the report
  • Improved oversight

    The provider had increased monitoring of the home. Audits identified shortfalls and an action plan was being used to address them.

    “The provider had continued to improve their oversight of the service, they visited the service weekly speaking to people and staff.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Resident involvement

    minor

    Resident meetings had not taken place during the previous year. The manager was developing plans to involve people more in the service.

    “Resident meetings had not been held in the past year” from the report
  • Family communication

    needs fixing

    Relatives said that communication had been affected by changes in managers. The new manager was working to improve contact with relatives.

    “Relatives told us the change in managers over the last year had affected communication.” from the report
  • Activities still developing

    minor

    A new activities co-ordinator was developing the role, and inspectors noted that activities remained an area for continued improvement.

    “The manager told us activities was an area that would be focused on to continue with improvements.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How are you making sure residents are involved in regular meetings and decisions about the home?
  2. 02What has changed to improve communication with relatives since the change in managers?
  3. 03What activities are now available, and how are residents' interests and hobbies being used to plan them?
  4. 04Has the manager completed CQC registration, and what is the current position?
  5. 05How are you checking that the improvements in care plans continue to be maintained?

This was a focused inspection of Safe, Responsive and Well-led; Effective and Caring were not assessed during this visit and the previous ratings for areas not looked at were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 January 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, December 2020

Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control arrangements were safe.

This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 30 November 2020. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control arrangements during the coronavirus pandemic.

They found the home was clean, with extra cleaning of frequently touched areas. Staff were using personal protective equipment properly, and equipment was available around the home.

Inspectors were assured about visitor controls, social distancing, admissions, testing, outbreak management and the infection control policy. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.

What inspectors praised
  • Clear information for residents

    People were given information about pandemic-related changes, including PPE, social distancing and isolation when needed.

    “People had been given information to help them understand the changes that had been made due to the pandemic.” from the report
  • Clean environment

    The home was clean and had increased cleaning of areas that people often touched.

    “The service was clean and extra cleaning duties were being carried out such as regular deep cleaning and cleaning of areas that were often touched.” from the report
  • PPE and infection control

    Staff used PPE appropriately, with fully equipped stations available around the home. Inspectors were assured that the provider was following infection control guidance.

    “Fully equipped PPE 'stations' had been distributed around the service to ensure PPE was available to staff when needed.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How are visitors currently prevented from catching or spreading infections?
  2. 02How often are frequently touched areas cleaned, and how is this checked?
  3. 03What PPE is available to staff now, and how do you check that it is used correctly?
  4. 04How are residents and staff tested, and what happens if someone tests positive?
  5. 05How do you safely admit new residents and manage any infection outbreak?

This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; it did not rate the other areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 December 2020 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 Eaton Lodge Nursing Home

6 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.

  1. January 2022Goodcurrent rating
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Eaton Lodge Nursing Home →

  2. December 2020Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Eaton Lodge Nursing Home →

  3. September 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. August 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. June 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. February 2017Requires improvementup from Inadequate
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. July 2016Inadequate
    Safe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. September 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. November 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  10. January 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  11. November 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  12. November 2011

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  13. February 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 February 2011.

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

39 live-in carers within about an hour of Kent

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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 33 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.

“Always on time and with a lovely smile for my mum. Theresa is kind and sensitive to my mum's needs.”
Anthea D., about Theresa L.
“Irene was a very kind and empathetic carer who knew just the right words to say to put a smile on my face.”
Winnie N., about Irene N.
See live-in carers near KentProfiles, 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.