Skip to content
CQC ExplainedEvery inspection report, in plain English

CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Home from Home Care

The Reeds

2 Lincoln Road, Dorrington, Lincoln, LN4 3PT

Goodpublished 1 November 2024, 21 months ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, January 2024

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring support, but some medicines and management records were not always accurate or easy to find.

The inspection was unannounced and took place on 4 and 10 December 2023, with inspection activity continuing until 18 December. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals. They observed care and checked care, medicines, recruitment and quality records.

The home was rated Good overall. People appeared safe and relaxed, and staff understood their needs. There were enough trained staff, medicines were generally given safely, risks were assessed, and people were supported with choice, communication and least restrictive care.

Inspectors found some weaknesses in the digital medicines records and in how information and learning from incidents were recorded and reviewed. They also made a recommendation that information systems and management oversight should be improved.

The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. This was a focused inspection of those two areas. The other ratings were carried over from the previous inspection, when the home was rated Outstanding overall in 2018.

What inspectors praised

  • People felt safe

    People and relatives said they felt safe. Staff knew people well and understood how to protect them from abuse and avoidable harm.

    “People appeared to feel safe and relaxed in the company of staff.” from the report

  • Enough trained staff

    The home had enough staff with the right skills to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Recruitment, induction and training supported safe care.

    “The numbers and skills of staff matched the needs of people using the service.” from the report

  • Respectful, person-centred support

    Staff respected people's choices, worked at their pace and communicated in ways they could understand. People were supported to have choice and control over their lives.

    “Staff were patient and explained everything to people in ways they could understand.” from the report

  • Positive culture

    Inspectors found a positive culture and staff who felt supported and valued. The home worked with relatives and other professionals.

    “There was a positive culture at the service.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • Medicines records

    needs fixing

    The digital system did not always calculate medicine stock correctly, and some information was difficult to locate. The provider said no errors had occurred and was making changes.

    “The system used to record medicines management and administration was unable to calculate the expected count of medicines stock correctly.” from the report

  • Learning from incidents

    needs fixing

    On one occasion, staff were not supported to learn and improve promptly after an incident. Inspectors said this created a risk that the incident could happen again.

    “We found 1 occasion where this had resulted in staff not being supported to learn and improve in a timely manner which risked a repeat incident occurring.” from the report

  • Management information

    needs fixing

    Some information was not easy to find when needed, and there was limited evidence of the registered manager's oversight. Inspectors recommended reviewing the home's digital and human support systems.

    “Systems of delegation and digital records at the service meant there was little evidence of registered manager oversight of the service and information was not always accessible at the time it was needed.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How have you fixed the digital system's problem with calculating medicine stock?
  2. 02How do you now check that medicines records are accurate and that important information can be found quickly?
  3. 03How quickly are staff supported to learn from incidents, and how do you check that lessons have been acted on?
  4. 04How can relatives contact the registered manager directly if they have a concern?
  5. 05How is the registered manager's oversight of the home recorded and reviewed?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings carried over from the previous inspection published in 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 January 2024 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 The Reeds

2 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has slipped, from Outstanding to Good.

  1. January 2024Goodcurrent ratingdown from Outstanding
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at The Reeds →

  2. March 2018Outstanding
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Outstanding

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. August 2016

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 August 2016.

Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission. A service can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections, not every contact the CQC has had with the service.

Another option

Or stay at home with a private carer

Many people who look at care homes end up staying at home with a carer who comes in for a few hours a day, or lives in. PrimeCarers introduces you to self-employed carers you choose yourself: interviewed, ID and DBS checked, from about £20 an hour or £1,120 a week live-in.

About live-in careHow PrimeCarers works
Same provider

Other services run by Home from Home Care Limited

10 other services on the CQC register. A pattern across a group tells you more than one report.

Brambles

Lincoln, LN3
Good
Residential
Rated 7 years agocare home

Kirk House

Lincoln, LN4
Requires improvement
Residential
Rated 20 months agocare home

Orchard Lodge

Lincoln, LN4
Outstanding
Residential
Rated 6 years agocare home

The Hawthorns

Lincoln, LN3
Outstanding
Residential
Rated 6 years agocare home

The Hollies

Lincoln, LN3
Good
Residential
Rated 14 months agocare home
Nearby

Other care homes near Lincoln

All in Lincolnshire

Kirk House

Lincoln, LN4 · 0.0 km
Requires improvement
Residential
Rated 20 months agocare home

Orchard Lodge

Lincoln, LN4 · 0.0 km
Outstanding
Residential
Rated 6 years agocare home

Cherry Tree Lodge

Sleaford, NG34 · 2.4 km
Outstanding
Residential
Rated 6 years agocare home

The Cottage

Lincoln, LN4 · 4.2 km
Good
Residential
Rated 2 years agoReport explained