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CQC report explained · a nursing home

What the CQC found at Kings Lodge

Requires improvementpublished 19 February 2026, 7 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 2021

Rated Good; inspectors found people were safe, medicines were managed properly and the home was well-led.

This was an unannounced, focused inspection on 26 November 2020. It was prompted partly by safeguarding concerns, so inspectors looked at Safe and Well-led. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, and reviewed care, medicine, staffing and management records.

Inspectors found that people felt safe and that staff understood safeguarding and people's individual risks. Medicines were given safely, staffing met people's needs and infection control measures were in place. The home worked with health and social care professionals during the pandemic.

The overall rating was Good and stayed the same as at the previous inspection, published in January 2020. The other three questions were not inspected during this visit, so their previous ratings were used in calculating the overall rating.

What inspectors praised
  • Safe medicines

    Staff were trained and checked as competent to give medicines. Inspectors found the medicine administration records accurate and complete.

    “We also checked medicine administration record (MAR) charts and found these to be accurate and completed correctly.” from the report
  • Managing risks

    People had individual risk assessments with clear guidance for staff. Accidents and incidents were reviewed so action could be taken to reduce repeat events.

    “People's care plans had individual risk assessments relevant to them which had guidance for staff and action that had been taken.” from the report
  • Listening to people

    People, relatives and staff were asked for their views. The home recorded feedback and made changes, including changing menu choices.

    “There were regular staff meetings and feedback from people was documented clearly if action needed to be taken.” from the report
  • Working with professionals

    The home continued to work with health and social care professionals during the pandemic. Care records included advice from occupational therapists, nutrition professionals and chiropodists.

    “Evidence of health professionals' advice was seen in people's care plans.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Safeguarding concerns prompted the inspection

    minor

    The inspection was prompted partly by safeguarding concerns received about the home. Inspectors found no evidence during this visit that people were at risk of harm, and said requested assurances had been addressed.

    “Recent safeguarding referrals had been made in regards to the home.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What safeguarding concerns have been raised since this inspection, and how were they investigated and resolved?
  2. 02How do you check that staff remain competent to administer medicines?
  3. 03How are changes in a person's risks recorded and communicated to staff and relatives?
  4. 04How do you decide when extra staff are needed as people's care needs change?
  5. 05What changes have you made in response to feedback from people and relatives?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection were used in calculating the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 January 2021 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, January 2020

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with clear improvements since the previous inspection.

This was an unannounced inspection on 25 November 2019. Inspectors spoke with four people, two relatives and seven staff. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and management information.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, detailed care plans, kind staff and activities that reflected people's interests.

The previous inspection was rated Requires Improvement and found a breach about consent. This had been addressed. The home was no longer in breach of any regulations, and recommendations from the previous inspection had been acted on.

A Good rating means the report found that people were safe, their outcomes were consistently good, their needs were met, and the service was consistently managed and well-led at the time of inspection.

What inspectors praised
  • Staffing and safety

    People and staff said there were enough staff, and inspectors saw staff responding calmly to people's needs. Recruitment checks were also in place.

    “During observations it was seen that there were enough staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Staff were described as kind and caring. Inspectors saw staff communicate respectfully, protect privacy and encourage people to make choices.

    “Staff were seen throughout the day to speak to people in a caring manner.” from the report
  • Personalised care

    Care plans recorded people's likes, dislikes, preferences and areas of independence. Staff showed they knew how people wanted to be supported.

    “Care plans were person-centred and contained thorough, meaningful details about people and how they wanted to be supported.” from the report
  • Activities and dementia support

    The home had an activities co-ordinator and offered group and one-to-one activities. The area for people living with dementia had been redesigned with sensory and interactive features.

    “On the day of inspection three separate group activities of a quiz and music sessions were seen to happen in the home” from the report
  • Improved leadership

    A registered manager had been recruited since the previous inspection. Management had improved communication, gathered feedback and acted on people's suggestions.

    “Feedback received from people was now being acted upon.” 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 do you review staffing levels and staff deployment if the number of people living here increases?
  2. 02How are mental capacity assessments, best-interest decisions and relatives' legal powers kept up to date?
  3. 03How will the planned pictorial menu be completed and made available to people who need it?
  4. 04How do you make sure people who do not join group activities receive suitable one-to-one support?
  5. 05How are suggestions from residents and relatives recorded and followed up?

This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the accommodation and the care provided; it followed a previous Requires Improvement rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 January 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 Kings Lodge

3 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.

  1. January 2021Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Kings Lodge →

  2. January 2020Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Kings Lodge →

  3. November 2018Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. July 2017

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 12 July 2017.

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

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