Merlin Manor Care Centre

Updated 15 May 2026

Date of Inspection: 8 to 26 June 2026. Merlin Manor Care Centre is a care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 94 people. Merlin Manor Care Centre provides support to older people, people who are living with a dementia, people with sensory impairments and living with complex health needs. At the time of inspection, there were 87 people using the service.

At the last inspectionin April 2022,weidentifiedbreaches of regulation in relation to fire safety, staffing and oversight of the service. At this inspectionimprovementshad beenmadeand theservicewas no longer in breach of regulations but improvements were needed to ensure these were fully embedded and sustained.

We completed this inspection as part of our routine programme, and because some concerns had been raised around how people were supported. The registered manager and clinical team demonstrated a strong caring culture. People, relatives and professionals consistently described staff as kind, compassionate and committed. People spoke positively about feeling safe, valued and supported, and we observed respectful interactions where staff took time to reassure people and respond to their preferences. These strengths contributed to people feeling comfortable and supported in their day-to-day lives.

Staff demonstrated strong clinical input and partnership working with health and social care professionals. They followed evidence-based guidance to support people’s health needs. People received appropriate support with nutrition and hydration, and professionals spoke positively about staff knowledge and how well they worked with visiting teams.

However, there were concerns about staffing which impacted the safety, responsiveness and overall quality of care. Feedback from all stakeholder groups, supported by rota analysis and inspection observations, showed staffing levels were often insufficient, particularly at night and on some units. This affected the timeliness of care, supervision, staff visibility and consistency of support. These pressures also impacted staff ability to complete care records and staff wellbeing.

Care planning, risk assessment and medicines management systems were in place but were not always effective in practice. Some records lacked clarity or up-to-date information, and medicines processes did not consistently ensure safe administration. Although management had identified a number of these issues and had taken some action, improvements were not yet fully embedded.

The regional management team had recently come into post and were still getting to know the service and staff. The registered manager was approachable and promoted a supportive culture, and they had a range of governance systems in place. But, the provider’s governance processes had not always resulted in timely or sustained improvement, particularly in relation to staffing, medicines and communication.

While people often experienced kind and compassionate care, risks remained due to staffing pressures, inconsistencies in care delivery and gaps in oversight.

Updated 15 May 2026

People gave predominantly positive feedback about their experience of living at the service. Many described staff as kind and respectful, and said they felt safe. One person said, “the care is amazing,” while another said, “coming here is the best thing I’ve ever done.” People felt staff treated them with kindness and dignity. Staff understood people’s individual needs, preferences and life histories, and people were generally involved in decisions about their care, with support from relatives or advocates where needed.

Some people were unable to share their views verbally, so we used structured observation to understand their experience. During the inspection we saw relaxed, warm interactions between staff and people. They generally offered reassurance when people appeared disorientated or distressed. However, we observed there was often times when staff were not visible or available to assist people. Relatives described staff taking time to understand people’s preferences, routines and behaviours, including for people living with dementia.

Relatives gave strong positive feedback about staff attitudes and the support their family members received, especially during transitions into care or following changes in health. Many described staff as going “above and beyond” and building strong relationships with residents.

However, concerns were consistently raised about staffing. People told us response times to call bells could vary, particularly when staff were busy. Relatives reported delays in care, inconsistencies in personal care and concerns about communication. This meant that while many people had positive experiences overall, their day-to-day care was not always consistent or timely.