Merlin Court Care Home

Updated 13 May 2026

Date of assessment: 26 to 30 June 2026. Merlin Court Care Home provides accommodation with personal care for up to 62 people. It provides care to adults of all ages, people with physical disabilities, sensory impairment and dementia. At the time of this assessment there were 57 people using this service.

People’s needs were assessed which helped staff produce personalised care plans. These provided staff with details on how to provide person-centred care and support. If people needed additional monitoring this was completed and staff liaised regularly with healthcare professionals. Staff communicated with each other about people’s needs and had timely updates when things changed. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the importance of obtaining consent.

Risks to people’s safety had been identified and assessed but we found some conflicting information in people’s risk management plans. However, we also found detailed information for staff to follow if people experienced distress. People had personal emergency evacuation plans which recorded what support they needed in the event of an emergency.

The service was clean and well maintained. Regular health and safety checks were being completed, and equipment was serviced by external contractors. Staff followed good infection prevention and control procedures and used personal protective equipment safely.

Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. There was a clear line management structure which staff understood. New staff had an induction when starting work and ongoing training and support. The provider had systems to support staff wellbeing and promote equality, diversity and inclusion amongst the workforce. Staff told us they felt well supported and enjoyed their work.

Medicines were safely managed. Staff had training and checks of their competence to safely administer medicines. Regular medicines audits were being completed.

There was a registered manager in post. Governance systems were effective and identified areas for improvement. All actions from quality checks were added to the provider electronic system for monitoring. This ensured all actions were addressed in a timely way.

Updated 13 May 2026

People said they were safe at the service and said there were enough staff to meet their needs. People had call bells to ring for staff when they needed them. People said staff responded in a timely way. People said the staff were caring and we observed people being provided with kind, compassionate care.

People were happy with the food. They said they had choice and could eat where they wanted to. People had copies of the menus, and we observed staff showing people menu options on plates. This helped people with dementia make choices about what they wanted to eat.

People had their own rooms and en-suite bathrooms. There were plenty of communal spaces such as a café, cinema, lounges and dining rooms. People could personalise their rooms with pictures, small pieces of furniture and personal belongings.

There were regular residents’ meetings and opportunities for people to share their views. People gave examples of when they had shared ideas for improvement and been listened to. People knew how to complain if they wanted to.