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CQC report explained · a nursing home

What the CQC found at Sutton Hall and Lodge

Requires improvementpublished 29 July 2025, 14 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, July 2022

Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, personalised care but concerns about safety, building maintenance and risk management.

Inspectors visited the home without notice on 9 and 10 June 2022. They spoke with seven people, five relatives and 11 staff, and observed care.

The home was rated Good for caring and responsive care. People were treated with dignity, involved in decisions and supported with activities, communication and personalised care. Medicines were managed safely, and staff had the skills needed to provide care.

The home was rated Requires Improvement overall, and also for safe, effective and well-led care. Inspectors found problems with infection control, building repairs, risk assessments, support for people losing weight and delays in seeking some health reviews.

This was the first inspection of the newly registered service. The previous rating was Good under the previous provider, published in August 2018.

What inspectors praised
  • Kind and respectful care

    Staff treated people with dignity, respect and compassion. People said staff were kind and listened to them.

    “People were treated with dignity, respect and compassion.” from the report
  • Safe medicines management

    Medication records were complete and staff understood people's medicines, including medicines given only when needed.

    “People's medication records were fully completed, and staff had a good understanding of people's medication.” from the report
  • Choice and activities

    People were supported to make choices about their routines and were offered a range of group and one-to-one activities.

    “There were a wide variety of activities taking place on a group basis and one to one.” from the report
  • Learning from incidents

    The manager reviewed accidents and incidents in a structured way and shared lessons with staff.

    “The registered manager had a robust and methodical approach to reviewing accidents and incidents.” from the report
  • Problems had been identified

    The manager's audits had already found all the issues identified during the inspection, with plans being put in place to address them.

    “The registered manager and provider's audits and governance oversight had identified all of the issues we found on inspection.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Infection control

    serious

    Some staff were not following mask and clothing requirements. Some areas were unclean and cleaning records were incomplete.

    “Some staff were observed not wearing face masks, wearing a non-compliant face mask and not wearing suitable clothing.” from the report
  • Missing risk assessments

    serious

    Some people's risks were not fully assessed or included in care plans. This included a person with a visual impairment.

    “People did not always benefit from risk assessments or plans of care to minimise risk of harm.” from the report
  • Weight loss support

    serious

    People at risk of losing weight did not always receive prompt action, referrals or fortified food. Kitchen staff were not always told about dietary instructions.

    “People were not always supported to eat and drink enough to maintain their weight.” from the report
  • Building condition

    serious

    Some floors, walls, kitchenettes, chairs and other areas were damaged, stained or difficult to clean.

    “Not all parts of the service were well maintained.” from the report
  • Health reviews

    needs fixing

    Staff did not always ask for timely reviews of people's health needs. Inspectors were concerned that some anti-psychotic medicines appeared to cause excessive drowsiness.

    “Staff did not always ask for a review of people's health care needs when required.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Have all damaged floors, walls, kitchenettes, chairs and other areas now been repaired and cleaned?
  2. 02How do you make sure every person has up-to-date risk assessments and care plans, including for visual impairment?
  3. 03How are fortified diets and other dietary instructions communicated to kitchen staff?
  4. 04What is the process for making prompt referrals or seeking treatment when someone loses weight?
  5. 05How do you make sure people's medicines and health needs are reviewed when they appear drowsy, or after falls?

This was an unannounced first inspection of the newly registered care home and covered all five key questions, including infection prevention and control, the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 July 2022 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 Sutton Hall and Lodge

5 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.

  1. July 2022Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read what inspectors found at Sutton Hall and Lodge →

  2. August 2018Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
  3. June 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  4. October 2016Requires improvementdown from Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  5. November 2015Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
  6. February 2020

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 February 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.

Next steps

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