Sands Lodge
- Care home
- 18 beds
- No nursing
- Registered since 2010
- Central Southend-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, East of England
Requires improvement
Rated on
Rating from the Care Quality Commission.
At a glance
4 ratings
Its last inspection moved it down from Good to Requires improvement.
1 month
since the latest rating was published.
6 of 76
rated care homes in Southend-on-Sea are rated Requires improvement, like this one.
Sands Lodge: inspection record
Rated Requires improvement in October 2026, down from Good.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||||||||||||
| Safe | ||||||||||||
| Effective | ||||||||||||
| Caring | ||||||||||||
| Responsive | ||||||||||||
| Well-led |
Ratings published by the Care Quality Commission.
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: Poppy Lodge Care Home (Good, 0.1 miles away) and Phoenix House (Good, 0.1 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Poppy Lodge Care Home Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Phoenix House Good, 0.1 miles away
- G The Grange Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Westcliff Lodge Limited Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Cherrycroft Good, 0.1 miles away
What inspectors found
From the Care Quality Commission's assessment published 1 October 2026 (assessment visit 20 July 2026). Quoted under the Open Government Licence.
Date of Inspection 29 July 2026 to 09 September 2026.
This comprehensive assessment included feedback from people, relatives, staff and professionals, alongside observations of care and a review of records.
- Safe No rating
- Effective No rating
- Caring Good
- Responsive Good
- Well-led No rating
Read the rest of CQC's summary
Sands Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for people with a learning disability and autistic people and also people with mental health needs. The service is registered to provide care for up to 18 people. As part of our assessment, we considered the Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidance Right support, right care, right culture that underpins our approach to assessing services for autistic people and people with a learning disability.
At the previous assessment the service was rated Good. Following this assessment, the rating has changed to Requires Improvement. We identified breaches of regulations 10, 11, 12, 17 and 19 relating to dignity and respect, consent, safe care and treatment, good governance and fit and proper persons employed.
Improvements were needed to ensure people consistently received care that promoted their rights, privacy, dignity, choice and control. Care planning and risk assessments did not always accurately reflect people's current needs or provide sufficient guidance to staff. The provider did not always follow the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and informed consent was not always appropriately assessed, recorded or reviewed. We also identified environmental risks that had not been adequately assessed or mitigated.
Although the registered manager was well regarded and responded positively to inspection feedback, governance systems were not consistently effective in identifying and addressing concerns. As a result, some risks and shortfalls remained unresolved.
People, relatives and professionals were generally positive about the service. Feedback highlighted caring staff, good relationships with the management team, effective partnership working with healthcare professionals and positive support to access community activities, education and employment opportunities. People told us they felt safe and supported.
We found examples of good practice, including medicines management, safeguarding processes, staff training and partnership working. Staff demonstrated kindness, compassion and a good understanding of people's individual needs.
Overall, while people's day-to-day experiences were generally positive, improvements were required to ensure care was consistently safe, person centred and delivered in line with regulatory requirements and the principles of right support, right care, right culture.
-
Safe
No rating
Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.
At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has changed to Requires Improvement.
This meant some aspects of the service were not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety. There was an increased risk that people could be harmed.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to people’s safe care and treatment; this was because of failing to adequately manage risks in the environment and the care people received.
-
Effective
No rating
Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.
At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has changed to Requires Improvement.
This meant the effectiveness of people’s care, treatment and support did not always achieve good outcomes or was inconsistent.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to need for consent and dignity and respect, this was because informed consent was not always gathered and principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were not always followed.
-
Caring
Good
Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good.
This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.
-
Responsive
Good
Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.
At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good.
This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.
-
Well-led
No rating
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.
At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has changed to Requires Improvement.
This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance and fit and proper persons employed; this was because of failing to identify and address failings identified in this report as well as gaps in employment checks.
Questions to ask when you visit
- Safe was rated Requires improvement on 1 October 2026. Ask how medicines are managed, how staffing levels are decided and how incidents are reviewed.
- Effective was rated Requires improvement on 1 October 2026. Ask about staff training and how health appointments are arranged.
- Well-led was rated Requires improvement on 1 October 2026. Ask about changes in management and what has changed since the report.
Registration details
- Registered manager
- Sally Harsent
- Registered with the CQC since
- What it provides
- Care home service without nursing
- Who it supports
- Learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, Mental Health
Inspection report
Read the full inspection report (opens the Care Quality Commission website)6 inspection reports, latest 6 December 2019. Latest assessment published 1 October 2026; the Care Quality Commission's newer assessments are published on its website rather than as reports.
The rating is the Care Quality Commission's. We show it as published and do not change it.
Who runs it
- Provider
- R G Care Ltd
- Ownership type
- Organisation
- Companies House number
- 00381793 (opens Companies House)
R G Care Ltd runs 5 services in England, 2 of them in the East of England. 3 are rated Good or Outstanding and 2 are rated Requires improvement or Inadequate.
Other services run by R G Care Ltd
- G Cherry Tree Good. Care home, Havering, London
- G Lifstan Way Care Home Good. Care home, Southend-on-Sea
- G The Paddocks Good. Care home, Havering, London
- RI The Farmhouse Requires improvement. Care home, Havering, London
Getting help from Southend-on-Sea City Council
The council can assess what care someone needs and tell them what help with the cost they may get.
- Adult social care at Southend-on-Sea City Council
- Ask for a care needs assessment
- Phone: 01702 215008 (choose option 5, then option 1)
- Support for carers
- Paying for care: Southend-on-Sea City Council
Checked on the council's website, November 2026.
Common questions
- Does Sands Lodge provide nursing care?
- No. The Care Quality Commission lists Sands Lodge as a care home without nursing.
- How many beds does Sands Lodge have?
- The Care Quality Commission's register lists 18 beds at Sands Lodge.
- When was Sands Lodge last inspected?
- The Care Quality Commission's latest rating for Sands Lodge was published on 1 October 2026.
- Who runs Sands Lodge?
- Sands Lodge is run by R G Care Ltd. It runs 5 services in England, 2 of them in the East of England.
- What is Sands Lodge's CQC rating?
- Its overall rating from the Care Quality Commission is Requires improvement, published on 1 October 2026.
Contact
- Phone
- 01702 340501
- Address
- 15 Kings Road, Westcliff On Sea, SS0 8LL Map (opens Google Maps)
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: Poppy Lodge Care Home (Good, 0.1 miles away) and Phoenix House (Good, 0.1 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Poppy Lodge Care Home Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Phoenix House Good, 0.1 miles away
- G The Grange Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Westcliff Lodge Limited Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Cherrycroft Good, 0.1 miles away