Northampton care home retains ‘requires improvement’ rating after follow-up inspection to see if improvements had been made on regulation breaches
A Northampton care home has retained its ‘requires improvement’ rating, after a follow-up inspection to see if improvement had been made on regulation breaches identified last year.
Margaret’s Rest Home, in Kingsley Road, was visited by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors on January 29 this year, as part of an assessment that was ongoing until March 12.
The inspection was carried out to follow up on three breaches of regulations found in March 2025.
During the latest assessment, inspectors found that two of three breaches had been addressed, or improvement seen, but inspectors “were not assured that the concerns relating to management of medications and oversight of the service” had been addressed. They also found concerns in relation to infection prevention and control.
The care home says it is “fully committed” to making the improvements needed and has appointed a new registered manager since the publication of the report.
The report, which was published on May 19, said: “The provider did not always have systems to effectively manage medications, and where these were in place, they were not embedded effectively. There continued to be poor practice around medication management.
“The provider did not always have effective systems in place to ensure robust oversight of the service, including infection prevention and control, and where systems were in place, they were not completed effectively.
“We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.”
As the 2026 assessment was not a targeted inspection, the CQC did not get feedback from people or relatives as part of this process. However, during the 2025 inspection people said they were happy with communication and the provider had been open and honest when mistakes were made, including when accidents had happened. Inspectors said people felt that staff were “polite and respectful, but there were not enough of them”.
Residents and relatives also told inspectors that they were not involved in the planning of care and would have liked to have been and also raised concerns with cleanliness and the support they received with personal hygiene.
Following the 2026 inspection, Donella Robinson, provider at the care home, said: “We accept the CQC’s findings and take them seriously.
“While we are proud of the dedicated care our team provides to residents every day, we recognise that there are areas where we must do better, and we are fully committed to making those improvements.
“We are pleased to have appointed Caitlin Flower as our new Registered Manager, who joined us on June 1, 2026. Caitlin brings fresh leadership and a clear focus on continuous improvement, and we are confident that under her guidance Margaret’s Rest Home will return to the Good rating our residents deserve.
“A detailed action plan is already in place and well under way. The welfare, dignity and happiness of every person in our care remains our absolute priority, and we look forward to demonstrating the progress we are making.”