Byron Lodge Care Home

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 27 May 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 7 April – 23 April 2026. We visited the service on 7 April 2026 and reviewed the care and support people received along with their care records and management information. Byron Lodge Care Home provides residential and nursing care to older people. Some people using the service were living with dementia. Byron Lodge Care Home can accommodate up to 61 people. On the day of inspection there were 33 people living in the service. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. We carried out a comprehensive inspection looking at all of the quality statements in all of the key questions. We assessed the service to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. At this assessment we found the service had made improvements.

The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to safe care and treatment and we had served a warning notice. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. ​

The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to safeguarding and we had served a requirement notice. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. ​

The provider was previously in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance and we had served a warning notice. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. ​

This service had been in Special Measures since 23 December 2025. The provider demonstrated improvements had been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions and, therefore, the service is no longer in Special Measures.

Monthly quality review meetings took place where accidents and incidents were discussed and reviewed. This process and approach and learning from accidents and incidents needed to be embedded and sustained to ensure continuous service improvement. The provider had made improvements to recording keeping in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and how people were kept safe when they lacked capacity to make specific decisions. These improvements needed to be sustained and embedded into practice to ensure people were always supported in the least restrictive way. People’s care plans had improved following our previous inspection; however, there were some instances where care notes did not always accurately record where care had been delivered, for example, around time-specific repositioning. We raised this with the management team and they agreed to take action. We observed members of staff were deployed effectively to meet people’s needs. However, feedback from both people and members of staff indicated there were times where it was felt there were insufficient numbers of staff to provide effective care and support. We shared this information with the management team.The administration of medications was managed safely and we observed improvements had been made following the last inspection.

People’s needs were assessed appropriately and recorded in their care plans. Improvements had been made to care plans, risk assessments and reviews. There was good communication and support between teams which enabled joined-up care for people. People had good access to support from their local GP practice. The provider and the management team told us the relationship with local clinicians had improved. People’s care and treatment was monitored to continuously improve it. People's consent to care and support was recorded in their care plans.

People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. Members of staff respected their privacy and dignity. People were offered choices about food and drink throughout the day. Members of staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. However, feedback from people highlighted some instances where they had to wait for support and members of staff did not always respond quickly. The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Members of staff knew people they supported and the care they delivered was unique to each person. The provider had been open and transparent with people and their families following our last inspection. Meetings and discussions had taken place and on-going meetings were arranged to ensure people and their families had access to information and updates about the service. Members of staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. The provider encouraged feedback about the service and listened to people when concerns were raised. People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

The new management team had had an impact on the running of the care home and continued work to support the development of the organisational culture required sustaining and embedding. There was a new leadership and management team in place in the care home. The new team needed time to develop their approach to inclusive management. The provider carried out monthly assurance reviews to monitor the quality of care and support. There had been improvements to the governance processes in place within the care home which needed to be sustained and embedded to ensure continued improvement. The provider had identified learning from the previous inspection and made changes and improvements throughout the care home.