St Margarets Care Home

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 5 March 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 02 December 2025 – 20 January 2026. We visited the care home on 02 December 2025 and 04 December 2025. This unannounced assessment was carried out to follow up on the actions we told the provider to take at our last assessment.

St Margarets Care Home is a care home without nursing which is registered to provide services to up to 16 older people, some of whom may live with dementia. Accommodation is provided across 3 floors, with stair lifts available for access. There were 12 people living at the home at the beginning of our assessment.

At our last assessment, undertaken in March 2025, we identified 8 breaches of legal regulations which related to safe care and treatment, safeguarding, staffing, person-centred care, consent, dignity and respect, the environment and good governance. At this assessment, improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 24 July 2025. The provider demonstrated improvements had been made, and systems and processes had been embedded and sustained at the service. 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The registered manager is the provider of St Margarets Care Home and will be referred to as ‘the provider’ throughout this report. The provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

The provider had made good progress against their improvement plan since the last assessment, ensuring priority actions were completed first. Although some environmental work remained outstanding, we found that many areas had already been reviewed and addressed.

People, and their relatives where appropriate, were involved in the care planning and risk assessment processes. We found significant improvements in care planning practices, with records now more accurately reflecting people’s needs and wishes.

Medicines management had improved, and mental capacity processes were being carried out safely and effectively. Safeguarding procedures were now clearly defined, and this included appropriate referrals and notifications to relevant external bodies. High risk areas at the location were routinely secured, with suitable safety measures in place. The provider also demonstrated clear improvements in responding to concerns promptly.

Staffing levels had been thoroughly reviewed in line with people’s needs and were found to be sufficient. People now received care that was dignified, respectful, and person‑centred. The provider’s oversight and regulatory understanding had improved, supporting ongoing improvements and compliance with required regulations.

This assessment was carried out by 3 inspectors and 1 Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who had had personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. We sought feedback from health and social care professionals who worked with the service.