CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Marina Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from harm, medicines were managed safely, risks were assessed, and staffing was sufficient and stable.
- Effective?
- Good
- Care was planned and delivered to meet people's needs, staff were trained and supported, and legal requirements about consent were followed.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect, and staff knew their needs and preferences well.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed, activities were provided, and people could maintain relationships with family and friends.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- Management and governance had improved but records were not always accurate or up to date, and further time was needed to embed new systems.
What inspectors found, August 2023
Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind care with improved management but noted records need better accuracy.
Inspectors visited Marina Care Home in early July 2023 to check on improvements since the last inspection in February 2023, when the home was rated as requires improvement and placed in special measures.
They found the home had made good progress. People were safe and well cared for. Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness and respect. Medicines were managed safely and risks were assessed and reduced.
The home had fewer agency staff, so people were supported by familiar carers. The environment was clean and improvements were ongoing. People could see visitors freely and enjoyed activities.
However, the leadership was not yet fully strong. Records about people's care were not always complete or up to date. The manager and provider are working on this with plans to improve their electronic systems.
Improved safety and medicines management
The home had made good improvements to ensure medicines were given safely and risks to people were well managed.
“Medicines were managed in a safe way and people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff treated people with dignity and kindness and knew their individual needs well.
“Staff treat people as individuals, staff are respectful and treat people like family.” from the report
Stable and skilled staff team
There were enough staff on duty, with fewer agency workers, so people were supported by familiar carers.
“I do see the same faces now in terms of staff, this has definitely improved.” from the report
Good involvement of people and relatives
People and their families were involved in care decisions and could raise concerns easily.
“I feel I could raise any issues if needed, I find all the staff approachable.” from the report
Care records not always accurate
needs fixingDaily care records were sometimes incomplete or not up to date, which could affect care quality.
“People's daily care records were not always accurate, complete and contemporaneous.” from the report
Well-led requires further improvement
needs fixingLeadership and governance had improved but more time was needed to embed new systems and sustain progress.
“Further time was required to determine the effectiveness of new processes and allow them to embed.” from the report
- 01How does the home ensure care records are kept accurate and up to date?
- 02What steps have been taken to reduce the use of agency staff and keep familiar carers?
- 03How are people and their families involved in care planning and decisions?
- 04What activities are available to keep residents engaged and socially connected?
- 05How does the management team monitor and improve the quality of care?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all key areas of care and management. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 August 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, February 2023
Marina Care Home is rated Requires Improvement and remains in Special Measures; inspectors found unsafe medicines systems and inadequate leadership, despite some improvements.
This was an unannounced follow-up inspection on 8 December 2022. Two inspectors, a pharmacist specialist and an Expert by Experience spoke with people, relatives and staff. They observed care, checked the building and reviewed care, medicine, staff and management records.
The home had improved from Inadequate to Requires Improvement overall. Safe and Effective also improved to Requires Improvement. However, Caring and Responsive remained Requires Improvement, while Well-led remained Inadequate. Inspectors found unsafe medicine management, gaps in risk planning, privacy failures and weak checks on quality and safety.
There were also positive changes. Recruitment processes were more robust, infection control had improved, the home was cleaner and more homely, and people appeared happy and relaxed with staff. The home remains in Special Measures because it was rated Inadequate for Well-led at two consecutive comprehensive inspections.
Improved infection control
Inspectors found better infection control arrangements. People had access to flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, and visitors had protective equipment available.
“We were assured that the provider was supporting people living at the service to minimise the spread of infection.” from the report
Kind and person-centred staff
Staff were observed being compassionate, patient and respectful of people's preferences. People were included in activities and conversations.
“We observed staff being compassionate and patient when people were upset.” from the report
Family contact and activities
The home allowed relatives and friends to visit whenever they wished. People were supported to keep family relationships and join in activities.
“The home had an open-door policy on visiting.” from the report
Improved recruitment
The provider had strengthened recruitment checks, including references and DBS checks before new staff started.
“At this inspection we found the provider had introduced more robust systems and had made improvements to their recruitment processes.” from the report
Medicine safety
seriousInspectors found unsafe storage, administration and oversight of medicines. One person had been left to take tablets without supervision, and the medicine fridge was above the recommended temperature range.
“The management, administration and storage of medicines was unsafe.” from the report
Risk management
seriousFood thickeners were kept in an unlocked cupboard and were not always used correctly. Some care plans also lacked guidance about supporting people who became distressed.
“This placed people at risk of aspiration which causes problems in people's lungs.” from the report
Mental capacity law
seriousBest-interest decisions had not been completed for sensor mats, and not everyone who needed a DoLS authorisation had one.
“The provider failed to consistently act in accordance with the principles and codes of practice associated with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.” from the report
Privacy and dignity
seriousPeople's privacy was not always protected during personal care or treatment. For example, one person received a wet shave in a busy communal lounge.
“The provider failed to ensure people's privacy and dignity was consistently maintained when receiving personal care.” from the report
Weak quality checks
seriousAudits and governance systems did not reliably identify problems in medicines, care plans, emergency information or mental capacity records. This meant improvements were not always made promptly.
“The provider did not consistently and effectively operate systems to assess and monitor the service, mitigate risk and drive improvement.” from the report
Incomplete care information
needs fixingSome care plans did not contain all the information staff needed to provide fully person-centred support. The report recommends reviewing all care plans.
“Some care plans did not have all the relevant information required to safeguard that all staff were aware of people's unique support needs.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to medicine storage, fridge temperature checks, controlled drugs and supervision when people take tablets?
- 02How will you make sure food thickeners are stored securely and used at the correct consistency?
- 03How are best-interest decisions and DoLS authorisations now being completed and checked?
- 04How will personal care and visits from health professionals be provided privately and with dignity?
- 05Who is the registered manager, and what regular audits now check care plans, medicines and legal requirements?
This was an unannounced follow-up inspection covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control, after the previous inspection found the service Inadequate. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 February 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.
Every inspection of Marina Care Home
10 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- August 2023Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2023Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- November 2022Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- January 2022Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2021Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2017Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2016Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- November 2015Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2015Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 June 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.
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38 live-in carers within about an hour of Sefton
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 £1,270 a week. 34 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“He developed a close affinity with Terence, spending time talking with him before he retired to bed and looking after his needs during the night.”
“It was clear that she genuinely cared and her warm approach really helped put our minds at ease.”
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.