Working at Arlington House
1 Arlington Gardens, Ilford, IG1 3HH
Operated by Saffron Care Homes Ltd
6 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
5.7/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 10 February 2026
Score: 5.7/10
Key Finding
"Enough staff and good training create a positive culture, but unsafe medicines management and limited activities hold it back."
Safety & Risk
3/10
✕
Medicines not always managed safely: no stock balance records, PRN protocols only for one of three medicines, unwanted medicines not disposed; premises safety lapses like broken kitchen lock.
Staff Culture
6/10
✓
Relatives and staff told us there was an open and positive culture; staff said 'It's a very nice place to work'.
Staffing Levels
7/10
✓
Enough staff to meet needs, unhurried duties, staff said they had enough time, relative confirmed 'always enough staff, everyone has 1 to 1'; robust recruitment practices.
Training & Dev
7/10
✓
Training included autism, mental capacity, health and safety; induction with shadowing, regular one-to-one supervision meetings.
Management
5/10
!
Registered manager in post and praised by staff as 'one of the best' who responds to concerns, but quality assurance systems not always effective and failed to identify safety and care plan issues.
Programmes
4/10
!
Activities included trips to the park, day services, listening to music, cinema visits and drives.
Points to consider
Medication management has gaps like no stock checks and missing instructions for as-needed meds.
The provider did not keep any records of the amounts of medicines held in stock... One person was prescribed 3 medicines on a PRN basis, but there were only protocols in place for one of these.
Only basic outings like park trips and cinema with no structured activities programme or coordinator, so mostly routine care.
The provider supported people to engage in community-based activities... These included trips to the park, day services and listening to music. On the first day... people visited the cinema.
Quality checks missed problems like overdue care plan reviews and safety issues.
Quality assurance and monitoring systems were not always effective. For example, care plans were supposed to be reviewed annually... but it had not been reviewed... audits failed to identify shortfalls.
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: December 2023
Requires improvement
Safe
!
Requires improvement
Effective
✓
Good
Caring
✓
Good
Responsive
!
Requires improvement
Management Quality
Well-led: Requires improvement
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- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
- PlainSight staff reviews