Marlborough Court Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

People were receiving a service that was well led.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The registered manager had clear values which were shared with the staff, and they provided training and support to enable staff to work towards these. The registered manager told us their aim was for people to live happy lives, to work as a team and to improve the culture of staffing at the service and the quality of care. A staff member told us, “Our aim is to build trust with people and to provide them with the good quality care they deserve.”

A health care professional told us, “Things have been much better under this manager. The communication is much better, and the registered manager appreciates the support they receive from the practice. The registered manager, and the nurses are excellent. The registered manager demands good care, Overall, I think the care people receive is very good.”

There were capable and inclusive leaders. The registered manager had managed the home for 1 year. They had previously managed another care home for 15 years. They were knowledgeable about their responsibilities regarding the Health and Social Care Act 2014. They were aware of the types of significant events which they were required to notify CQC about and records showed the service had submitted notifications to CQC where needed.

The registered manager told us they felt well supported by senior managers. The regional manager visited twice each month to provide 1-1 support and to help to improve the quality of care at the service. The providers quality support manager also visited weekly to offer support. The registered manager also attended regular managers meetings where they learned about and shared good practice.

Staff told us they felt happy and supported working at the service. One staff member told us, “The registered manager’s door is always open, there is never a problem to get to speak with her. She listens and if I need anything I get it.” Another staff member said, “I like working here, the registered manager relates well with staff and people using the service, I feel happy to be here every day.” A third staff member commented, “It’s very rewarding working here. It feels like I am doing the right thing.”

Management support was available for staff when they needed it. There was a 24 hour on-call number where staff could contact managers if they need any advice or support.

There were systems to enable staff and others to speak up. Staff told us there were regular team meetings where they could express their views and opinions. One staff member told us, “We talk about staffing levels, how we care for people using the service, we make sure quality of care is top notch. The registered manager will open the floor for staff to make suggestions.” Another staff member said, "The registered manager is always there for us, and she is really supportive."

A person using the service told us, “I know the manager. I see her passing my room and she always says hello.” A relative commented, “I have not got a bad word to say about Marlborough Court or anyone who works there. I get on with the people in the office and all the nurses and carers know me. If there are any problems or questions I may have, I can approach them without any hesitation. I can’t fault Marlborough Court in any way.” Another relative told us, “I can chat to the office and to the manager; they are always available if I have any questions.”

The registered manager told us the service had a staffing team from many backgrounds, and they were committed to ensuring staff were able to celebrate their diverse needs. The provider offered active support to staff including a LGBTQ+ staff group, a race and cultural inclusion forum, disability and accessibility support and a parent and carers group. Staff could take time out to attend religious and cultural holidays, and they celebrated events such as Pride and Black history month. A staff member told us during Black history month they dressed in traditional attire, the chef cooked cultural foods and shared this with staff and people using the service.

The provider had systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. We saw a comprehensive report from a monthly provider visit carried out by the regional manager. The regional manager looked at areas such as staff training and supervision, complaints, they spoke to people using the service, observed people’s mealtime experience, reviewed care plans and carried out checks on medicines. The report identified that most of the areas looked at had been met.

We saw a report from an unannounced night time spot check carried out at the service in June 2025. The registered manager told us these checks were carried out to make sure staff were supporting people in line with their care needs.

Audits and checks were in place to oversee good service delivery and ensure people’s safety. Audits covered areas such as, medicines, health and safety, infection control, care plans, mealtimes experience, complaints, accidents and incidents and safeguarding concerns. Checks were also carried out on the environments, call bells and equipment people used.

We saw records from the local authority commissioning team’s recent quality assurance visit to the service. This included recommendations for improvement. The registered manager showed us an action plan which confirmed they were making the required actions for improvement. An officer from the local authority commissioning team told us the registered manager and deputy manager were responsive to their quality assurance visits and a number of improvements had been made at the service. The registered manager told us they had a good relationship with the local authority quality team. They said any advice they provided was always helpful.

The registered manager told us they worked in partnership with other organisations. These included a local hospice, a GP practice, speech and language and occupational therapists, dietitians, diabetes nurse and visiting opticians. They worked with the local authority falls team and mental health team. Tissue viability nurses offered wound care training, and this was attended by nurses at the service.

The registered manager regularly attended the local authority providers meetings where they learned about and shared good practice. At a recent meeting the local authority talked about the training they offered to care homes. The registered manager told us they shared this with the staff team. There had been a good take up from staff for the training topics some of which was for staff personal development and wellbeing.

There were systems for learning. These included regular staff meetings and supervisions. The registered manager discussed learning from accidents and incidents with staff. There was evidence of learning and improvements.