Working at Freda Gunton Lodge Residential Home
Balkerne Gardens, Colchester, CO1 1PR
Operated by Balkerne Gardens Trust Limited
40 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
6.5/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 10 February 2026
Score: 6.5/10
Key Finding
"Strong staff retention and comprehensive training, but the manager's secondment means weaker oversight and inconsistent medicines checks."
Safety & Risk
6/10
✓
People received their medicines when they needed them... However there were times when this was not consistently done and this had not been identified by the audit.
Staff Culture
6/10
✓
Staff all enjoyed working for the provider and at the home. They felt valued, showed pride in the work they did... All staff told us how much they enjoyed working at the home and how supported they felt.
Staffing Levels
8/10
✓
There were ample staff on duty to meet people's needs... Many staff had been in post over 10 years.
Training & Dev
8/10
✓
Staff had access to comprehensive training covering each aspect of their work, they were also supported to complete relevant professional qualifications... Staff had completed nationally recognised qualifications in care standards.
Management
4/10
!
The registered manager was completing a secondment opportunity in the provider's head office (also on site) A director from the provider group was taking the opportunity to manage the home.
Programmes
6/10
✓
The activities coordinator had devised with people in the home a varied and full programme of events... There was a variation of group and one to one activity.
Points to consider
The permanent manager is on secondment to head office so a director is covering, and leadership checks like audits are not frequent enough to spot issues quickly.
The registered manager was completing a secondment opportunity in the provider's head office... The frequency of these did not allow enough oversight of certain aspects of the service.
Medication records are not always fully complete and audits missed some gaps.
Staff were competent and knew how medicines should be stored, recorded and administered. However there were times when this was not consistently done and this had not been identified by the audit.
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: February 2020
Good
Safe
✓
Good
Effective
✓
Good
Caring
✓
Good
Responsive
✓
Good
Management Quality
Well-led: Requires improvement
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- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
- PlainSight staff reviews