CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Marlborough Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks, medicines, infection control, staffing and recruitment were managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed, and staff had relevant training and support. People received suitable food, healthcare and help with communication and consent.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions and encouraged to be independent.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Staff provided exceptionally personalised support and helped people achieve goals, build confidence and take part in activities, education, work and community life.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had approachable leadership, a positive culture and quality checks that were used to improve care. People, relatives and staff were involved in how the home was run.
What inspectors found, December 2019
Marlborough Lodge was rated Good overall, with Outstanding responsive care and strong support for people's choices and independence.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 19 September 2019. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals, and checked care plans, medicines records, staff files and management records.
People were found to be safe, supported by trained staff and given kind, respectful care. Medicines were managed safely, staffing levels were sufficient, and people's health, food and communication needs were understood.
The strongest area was responsive care, rated Outstanding. Staff helped people pursue personal goals, develop independence, take part in community activities and manage anxiety or behaviour. The overall rating was Good, unchanged from the previous inspection, while responsive care improved from Good to Outstanding.
Highly personalised support
Staff understood people's individual needs, wishes and anxieties. They adapted support creatively so people could achieve goals that had previously seemed difficult.
“People were placed at the very centre of their care and were able to develop and grow in confidence.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to take part in activities they enjoyed, including music, college, fundraising, volunteering and community projects.
“People were supported fully to engage and participate in activities and social events that they loved.” from the report
Safe care
Inspectors found suitable safeguarding, risk management, staffing and medicines systems. People were supported to take reasonable risks while staying as safe as possible.
“People were consistently protected from abuse.” from the report
Respect and independence
Staff involved people in decisions, respected privacy and supported daily living skills such as cooking, laundry, cleaning and budgeting.
“People were actively encouraged to be as independent as possible.” from the report
Positive leadership
Inspectors found an open and friendly culture. Management used audits, feedback and incidents to improve care.
“The culture of the home was positive and enabled people to live how they wanted to.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you identify my relative's personal goals, interests and preferred activities, and how would you review progress?
- 02What positive behaviour support strategies would you use if my relative became anxious or distressed?
- 03How would you communicate with my relative if they need pictorial, translated or other accessible information?
- 04How are staffing levels decided when people need one-to-one support or want to take part in activities outside the home?
- 05How would my relative be involved in decisions about their care, daily routines, room and household tasks?
This was a planned, unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the care and the premises; the previous overall rating was Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 December 2019 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 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care, with some medicines records and reporting procedures needing improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 12 December 2016. One inspector spoke with people living at the home, staff, managers and relatives. They also checked care records, staff recruitment and training records, medicines records and management information.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, trained staff, suitable healthcare support and people receiving their medicines when needed.
People were treated kindly and with respect. Their care was personalised, and they were involved in decisions, activities and planning their day. Inspectors found a positive atmosphere and good support from managers, but identified some incomplete medicines records and one significant incident that had not been reported to CQC as required.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke positively about the staff. Inspectors saw warm interactions and found that privacy, dignity and communication needs were respected.
“People were supported by staff who knew them well.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and goals. People were involved in planning their care and were supported to become more independent.
“People were fully involved in planning and reviewing their care and they were supported to achieve their goals.” from the report
Activities and independence
People could plan their day and take part in activities at home and in the community. Staff supported personal interests, family contact and independent travel.
“People were supported to follow their interests and take part in social activities.” from the report
Staffing and training
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and recruitment checks were completed. Staff had training and understood people's individual needs.
“There were sufficient staff available to enable people to take part in a range of activities according to their interests and preferences.” from the report
Medicines records
needs fixingSome handwritten medicine entries had not been checked and countersigned by a second staff member. Some creams were not dated clearly when opened, so staff could not always tell whether they were safe to use.
“It is important for two members of staff to sign handwritten medicine records to check it is an accurate account of the medicines prescribed.” from the report
Incident reporting
needs fixingOne significant incident had not been reported to CQC as required. The report says the incident itself had been dealt with appropriately.
“The provider had not notified us of all significant incidents in line with their legal responsibility.” from the report
Complaints information
minorNot all relatives knew about the complaints policy. They were nevertheless confident that the manager would respond to concerns, and two complaints had been resolved.
“Not all of the relatives we spoke to were aware of the provider's complaints policy.” from the report
Family involvement in reviews
minorOne relative had not been involved in a recent review of their family member's care. The manager said a review would be arranged.
“One relative told us they had not been involved in a recent review of their family members care.” from the report
- 01What has changed since the inspection to make sure handwritten medicine records are always checked and countersigned?
- 02How are creams and ointments dated when opened, and how do you check that the dates remain clear?
- 03How do you now make sure every significant incident is reported to CQC when required?
- 04How will my relative and our family be involved in care planning and regular reviews?
- 05How will you give us the complaints procedure and explain how concerns are handled?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service, covering all five CQC questions and providing ratings for each one. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 February 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 Marlborough Lodge
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- February 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 January 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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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.