• Care Home
  • Care home

Hatfield Lodge

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

1-3 Trinity Gardens, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2RP (01303) 253253

Provided and run by:
Hatfield lodge care home Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed - see old profile

Latest inspection summary

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Our current view of the service

Requires improvement

Updated 6 November 2025

Date of assessment: 10 November to 5 December 2025. Hatfield Lodge is a residential home for older people who are living with dementia. The assessment was completed to follow up on enforcement action following our last assessment. At our last assessment we identified 4 breaches of regulation including safe care, governance, person centred care and safe staffing. At this assessment we found improvements had been made but further improvement was needed and the service continued to be in breach of regulation relating to staff recruitment.

There had been changes to the management team at the service, the operations director had based themselves at the service to drive improvement. They had also applied to be the registered manager, which was confirmed during the assessment. The oversight of the service had improved, and the provider had commissioned an external quality audit and dementia mapping study. The audits had identified shortfalls, an action plan had been put in place, and there continued to be further improvement needed. The way in which staff worked had changed and people now received support when they needed it. Some staff hours had increased such as laundry staff and the cook; this had given care staff more time to spend with people. Potential risks to people’s health and welfare had been assessed, though guidance had improved there were still some areas which required further detail. Accidents and incidents were now recorded and analysed but the action taken was not always recorded clearly. Medicine management had improved but guidance relating to when required medicines still needed to be improved.

This service has been in Special Measures since 19 August 2025. The provider demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

People's experience of the service

Updated 6 November 2025

People’s experience of living at the service had improved. People benefitted from staff having more time to spend with them. Relatives told us their family member was more cheerful and were getting up earlier, which had always been their routine previously. People were now receiving their breakfast earlier and were offered more choice of meals including a hot meal at teatime.

People now had access to more activities and had gone out to the shops and for coffee with staff. People had been supported to attend appointments such as the dentist, staff had worked with professionals to make sure people felt comfortable to have their treatment.

People appeared to be comfortable and at ease with staff, we observed people chatting and laughing with staff. The environment had been changed; there were now pictorial signs and pictures on people’s doors to assist them to find their way round the service independently. The provider had updated some of the communal areas, an extra toilet had been put in, and the bathroom had been altered to support people’s independence. Staff were now following guidance from health professionals and people were receiving the correct diet and fluids.