Essex care home earns ‘outstanding’ rating for second time

 

A national care watchdog has given a Chelmsford care home its highest seal of approval, with inspectors commending the home for its well-led and caring service.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) awarded Care UK’s Manor Lodge, on Manor Road, a second consecutive ‘outstanding’ rating – the highest achievable – following its latest inspection of the home.  

As well as being rated ‘outstanding’ overall, Manor Lodge was specifically recognised for its quality levels of care and for being well-led. 

The comprehensive inspection evaluated the home across several key areas, including safety, responsiveness and leadership – with Manor Lodge’s safety being upgraded to ‘outstanding’ from ‘good’, and both its responsiveness and effectiveness retaining the previous rating of ‘good’. The result reflects the hard work of team members striving to maintain the highest standards in all aspects of care.  

The team at Manor Lodge were praised for having created a ‘culture of openness, empathy, and inclusion’ by involving families in care planning and tailoring activities to reflect people's interests and cultural backgrounds, such as hosting religious festivals. The home was also commended for delivering person-centred care that ‘meets and often exceeds the needs of the people they support’, with families describing Manor Lodge as ‘warm, welcoming and attentive’.

Inspectors noted that the team works together to make dining experiences engaging and meaningful for residents. For example, during a mealtime, six team members sat with people at different tables, chatting and creating a warm, inclusive atmosphere.

Manor Lodge will be celebrating its new rating with a party on Friday 21^st February, from 5.45-8pm.

Maggie Ziemianska, Home Manager at Manor Lodge, said: “Everyone has contributed to making Manor Lodge a wonderful place to live and work, and this rating stands as a testament to everyone’s dedication to brightening each resident’s day. 

“We are committed to providing an outstanding level of care, and we are proud that the CQC has recognised this for a second time. We believe that every resident deserves the best possible care and support, and this rating proves that we are working hard to meet and exceed these standards. 

“I am looking forward to celebrating this achievement with the team and residents at our upcoming party, and continuing to build on our success in delivering exceptional care.”

Manor Lodge, rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), is a modern care home that provides full-time residential, dementia nursing and short-term respite care. Designed to enable its residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema, café and hair salon, and there is plenty of space, both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation.