CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Maldon House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, December 2021
Rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe and personalised care, but the home’s leadership and quality checks require improvement.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 23 November 2021. They spent time with people and staff, reviewed care, medicines, health and safety records, and spoke with relatives, staff and a visiting professional.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. Inspectors found enough staff, safe risk management, suitable training, person-centred support and kind care. People were supported to make choices, stay active, communicate in their own ways and keep in touch with family.
The Well-led rating was Requires Improvement. Audits did not always find problems with the building, cleanliness, medicines records or support plans. Issues found during the visit were addressed afterwards, but inspectors wanted to see that improvements were found and dealt with reliably over time.
This was the first inspection of the newly registered service. The previous provider’s service had been rated Requires Improvement, published on 21 January 2020. The current overall rating is Good, but the leadership rating shows there are still important areas to monitor.
Safe risk management
Inspectors found that risks were monitored and reviewed. Staff had clear guidance for health conditions, tube feeding and supporting people when distressed.
“Risks to people were managed safely and people's risk assessments were regularly reviewed.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff knew people well, responded to their communication and helped them feel calm when upset. People’s privacy, dignity and individuality were respected.
“Staff treated people with kindness, and asked people about their days with genuine interest.” from the report
Personalised support
Support plans included people’s preferences, communication methods and independence goals. People were involved in decisions about their care and daily lives.
“People's support plans contained information on what people could do for themselves and the level of support staff needed to provide to encourage people to be as independent as possible.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People were supported to remain active, go out and maintain friendships and family relationships, including during the pandemic.
“We saw that people were supported by staff to lead active lives.” from the report
Quality checks were not reliable
needs fixingAudits did not always identify problems, and issues already found were not always acted on promptly. Inspectors wanted more time to see that improvements became part of everyday practice.
“Quality assurance processes at the home did not always identify issues and where issues were identified, these were not always actioned in a timely way.” from the report
Environment and cleanliness
needs fixingInspectors found mould and staining in one bathroom, flooring that was coming away from a wall and locked bedroom windows because keys were missing. These issues were addressed or being addressed after they were raised.
“One person's en-suite bathroom required deep cleaning due to staining and mould around the lip of the person's shower.” from the report
Records needed improvement
needs fixingSome medicine records needed clarification, including controlled medicine records and guidance about which medicine to use when needed. Some important ways of helping a person calm down were also missing from their support plan.
“Although people's positive behaviour support (PBS) guidance contained information on how to support the person when upset into wellbeing, some important information was not contained within these plans.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to make sure audits now identify problems with cleanliness, flooring, ventilation and other parts of the building?
- 02How are medicines given when needed recorded, and how are medicine records checked after an error or unclear entry?
- 03How do you make sure each person’s support plan includes the individual strategies staff use when they become upset?
- 04Who is responsible for the home while there is no registered manager, and what is the progress of the manager’s CQC registration?
- 05How do you check that issues raised by relatives are fixed permanently rather than only dealt with at the time?
This was an unannounced first inspection of the care home covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control, with no previous rating for this newly registered service; the previous provider’s service was rated Requires Improvement. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 December 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.
Every inspection of Maldon House
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2021Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2020Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 September 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.
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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.”
“Una felt safe, secure and loved in her time with Debbie which is a gift that I am eternally grateful for.”
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.