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CQC report explained · a nursing home

What the CQC found at Mayflower Care Home

Requires improvementpublished 11 March 2026, 6 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, November 2021

Mayflower Care Home is rated Good overall; inspectors found safe care and outstanding leadership, with one medicine instruction corrected immediately.

This was an unannounced, focused inspection on 17 August 2021. Inspectors looked at Safe and Well-led. They spoke with people, staff, relatives and professionals, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.

The home was rated Good for Safe. People had individual risk assessments, staffing levels were monitored, recruitment checks were completed and infection control arrangements were suitable. One medicine was not being given according to its special instructions, but this was corrected immediately.

The home was rated Outstanding for Well-led. Inspectors found an open and positive culture, strong management checks and a clear focus on improving care. The overall rating remained Good, the same as at the previous inspection in 2018. The Well-led rating improved from Good to Outstanding.

The other three areas, Effective, Caring and Responsive, were not inspected during this visit. Their previous ratings were used when calculating the overall rating.

What inspectors praised
  • Strong leadership

    Inspectors found the home exceptionally well-led, with managers who were visible, approachable and focused on improving care.

    “Leaders and the service culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.” from the report
  • Good safety systems

    Risks were assessed and reviewed, including risks linked to falls, choking, skin damage and complex behaviour. Staff understood how to respond to abuse and incidents.

    “Potential risks to people's safety continued to be assessed and monitored to minimise the risk of harm to people, staff and visitors.” from the report
  • Support for people with complex needs

    Care plans included possible triggers and guidance for staff supporting people whose behaviour could put themselves or others at risk.

    “Each person had a care plan which identified the nature of their behaviour, the potential triggers for the behaviour and guidance for staff” from the report
  • Relatives kept informed

    Relatives could access daily care notes and received updates through newsletters, emails and meetings. Inspectors said relatives were actively involved in improving the service.

    “The service was open with relatives about their loved one's care and gave them access to their daily care notes.” from the report
  • Learning and improvement

    The home used incidents, complaints, meetings and audits to identify changes. Inspectors found examples where concerns led to practical improvements.

    “There was a strong emphasis on continuous improvement.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Medicine instructions

    needs fixing

    One medicine had special instructions about when it should be given, and these instructions were not initially followed. The provider acted immediately to correct this.

    “One medicine had instructions to be administered in a specific way outside of the set times and this was not being adhered to.” from the report
  • Blood glucose equipment

    minor

    After the inspection, the provider sought advice to make sure blood glucose monitoring machines were calibrated as recommended by the manufacturer.

    “The provider sought advice after the inspection to ensure that blood glucose monitoring machines were calibrated in line with the manufacturer's recommendations.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What checks are now in place to make sure medicines with special administration instructions are given correctly?
  2. 02How often are blood glucose monitoring machines calibrated, and who checks this?
  3. 03How will I be able to see my relative's daily care notes and receive updates?
  4. 04How are care plans reviewed when a person has complex behaviour or changing needs?
  5. 05How do you review staffing levels when residents' needs change?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were used. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 November 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, September 2020

Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control arrangements were safe.

This was an announced, targeted inspection on 18 August 2020. It looked only at infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.

Inspectors found good practice in how new people were admitted, isolated and tested. They were also assured that the home was using protective equipment safely, managing visiting, and following shielding and social distancing rules.

The home was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give an overall quality rating or ratings for most areas of care.

What inspectors praised
  • Safe admissions and isolation

    New admissions were expected to have a recent negative COVID-19 test and were isolated for 14 days. People with symptoms or a positive test were cared for in a dedicated isolation area.

    “People who moved in were isolated for 14 days.” from the report
  • Visiting arrangements

    Visiting was controlled through appointments and limited numbers. Relatives could also view part of their loved one's care planning system if the person agreed.

    “Visiting was by appointment in half hour time slots.” from the report
  • Cleaning and decontamination

    The home had a named lead for cleaning and decontamination, with a dedicated room and processes for cleaning mattresses and furnishings.

    “There was a dedicated decontamination room.” from the report
  • Infection control assurance

    Inspectors were assured across the infection control areas they checked, including PPE, testing, hygiene, social distancing and outbreak management.

    “We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” 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 are new admissions tested and isolated now?
  2. 02What are the current visiting arrangements and how many visitors can attend at one time?
  3. 03How are people with symptoms or a positive infection test cared for and kept separate from others?
  4. 04How are mattresses, furnishings and other equipment decontaminated?
  5. 05Can relatives still access part of their loved one's care planning system with their consent?

This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures only; the service was inspected but not rated in the areas not covered. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 September 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 Mayflower Care Home

5 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.

  1. November 2021Goodcurrent rating
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Outstanding

    Read what inspectors found at Mayflower Care Home →

  2. September 2020Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Mayflower Care Home →

  3. August 2018Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. October 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. June 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. August 2015Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. March 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. June 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. November 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  10. May 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  11. February 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 February 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.

Next steps

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