CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Hamilton Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective systems for managing risks, safeguarding people and learning from incidents. Staffing, recruitment, medicines and infection control were also found to be safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- The report does not give a rating or detailed findings for this question.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care, routines, food and activities.
- Responsive?
- Good
- The report does not give a rating or detailed findings for this question.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found an open, positive culture, effective management checks and a manager who understood the service and regulatory requirements.
What inspectors found, November 2023
Hamilton Lodge rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring and well-led support, with no breaches reported.
Inspectors visited without notice on 6 and 9 November 2023. They spoke with seven people using the service and six staff. They observed care and reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and management checks.
The home supported eight people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated with kindness and supported to make choices and live as independently as possible. Staff numbers were sufficient and medicines were managed safely.
The home had a positive culture and effective checks on the quality and safety of care. The overall rating was Good. Safe, Caring and Well-led were also rated Good. The report does not give ratings for Effective or Responsive.
Choice and independence
People were supported to make decisions about their routines and activities. They were also helped to develop skills and take part in managing the home.
“Hamilton Lodge provided care and support that maximised people's choice, control and independence.” from the report
Safety systems
The home had systems to identify and manage individual risks. Staff knew what to do about possible abuse, and incidents were reviewed for learning.
“The provider had maintained an effective system to identify, assess, monitor and manage individual risks arising from people's conditions and choices.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People described feeling safe and happy. Staff supported people with dignity, privacy, family contact and activities that mattered to them.
“Care at Hamilton Lodge was person-centred and promoted people's dignity, privacy and human rights.” from the report
Positive leadership
Inspectors found an open culture, regular staff meetings and effective checks on care quality and safety. The home also worked with healthcare professionals.
“There was a learning culture at the service which improved the care people received.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you involve my relative in decisions about their care, daily routine, food and activities?
- 02What personalised support is in place if my relative needs diabetes care, including blood testing and recording food intake?
- 03How can people living here take part in activities, work placements, training or environmental checks?
- 04How do you review incidents and make sure lessons learned lead to changes in care?
- 05How will you support my relative to keep in contact with family and continue their usual interests?
This was an unannounced full inspection, with visits on 6 and 9 November 2023; the report gives ratings for Safe, Caring and Well-led, but not for Effective or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 November 2023 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.
What inspectors found, October 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, but noted staffing worries and some areas needing cleaning and repair.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 19 September 2017. Inspectors observed care, spoke with all six people living there, contacted relatives and a health professional, and checked care, medicines, staff and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, supported with medicines, treated with respect and helped to make choices. People enjoyed activities, trips and holidays based on their interests.
The home did not have a manager registered with the CQC at the time, although a new manager had started the registration process. Inspectors also found some damaged furniture, stained carpets and en-suites needing deeper cleaning. These issues had been identified and an improvement plan was under way.
People felt safe
People said they felt safe. Staff understood safeguarding procedures, people's risks and how to respond to concerns.
“People we spoke with all told us they felt safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people's preferences and supported their privacy, dignity and independence. Families also described staff as caring.
“We observed interaction between service users and staff that were kind and caring.” from the report
Personalised activities
People were supported to enjoy hobbies, community activities, parties, trips and holidays that matched their interests and choices.
“The provider promoted people's personal interests and hobbies.” from the report
Improved care records
The home had acted on the previous inspection's concerns about confusing and incomplete care records. Inspectors found records and reviews were now up to date.
“At this inspection this had improved and this is rated as good.” from the report
Staffing worries
needs fixingSome relatives were concerned about staff leaving and the effect this could have on planned outings. Inspectors found staffing levels were sufficient during the inspection, with existing staff covering vacancies.
“There could be more staff. Hamilton Lodge has lost some key staff recently which has caused a bit of a worry.” from the report
Cleaning and repairs
needs fixingSome furniture was damaged, carpets were stained and some en-suites needed a deep clean. The home had identified these issues and was taking action.
“Some areas of the service we found required some attention some furniture was damaged and carpets were stained and in need of cleaning.” from the report
No registered manager
minorThere was no manager registered with the CQC when inspectors visited. A new manager had started the registration process.
“At the time of our inspection the service did not have a manager in post who was registered with the Care Quality Commission.” from the report
- 01How many permanent staff are currently in post, and how are staff absences or vacancies affecting planned outings?
- 02Has the new manager completed the process to register with the CQC?
- 03Have the damaged furniture, stained carpets and en-suites needing deep cleaning now been dealt with?
- 04What is the current timetable for the remaining redecoration and carpet-cleaning work?
- 05How will you involve my relative and our family in reviewing their care plan and activities?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, with the Responsive rating improved from Requires Improvement to Good since 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 October 2017 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.
Every inspection of Hamilton Lodge
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodCaring: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 July 2014.
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.
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92 live-in carers within about an hour of Doncaster
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. 77 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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