Working at St Helens Hall and Lodge
Elephant Lane, St. Helens, WA9 5EL
Operated by Sandstone Care North West Limited
94 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
5.6/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 9 February 2026
Score: 5.6/10
Key Finding
"Staff feel supported by management with good activities and safety oversight, but training gaps and occasional short-staffing hold it back."
Safety & Risk
6/10
✓
Safeguarding was a top priority... good oversight of accidents, incidents, and risks. Concerns were identified around the storage and administration of some medicines, however when raised with the registered manager, urgent steps were taken to resolve these issues.
Staff Culture
6/10
✓
Staff told us they were treated well by their colleagues and management. Staff commented they felt supported by the manager.
Staffing Levels
5/10
!
Some people told us they do not feel there is always enough staff on duty however “they all do their best” and generally respond quickly. Staff felt occasionally short-staffed, one staff member told us “Some days are well staffed, and some days are really low.”
Training & Dev
4/10
!
Some staff have had training in line with best practice and skills for care. However other staff had training gaps in areas such as the care certificate, autism, epilepsy awareness and diabetes awareness. The manager was aware of this and was in the process of arranging dates for those staff.
Management
7/10
✓
Staff commented they felt supported by the manager saying, “I feel supported” and “absolutely supported by the manager.” The registered manager had good oversight and took urgent steps to resolve issues like medication storage.
Programmes
6/10
✓
There was an activity coordinator in place to provide people with the opportunity to participate in activities. People told us they were offered choices... film shows, the entertainers and the singing. Staff told us “Activities are really good here” and “we have a lot of activities.”
Points to consider
Some staff lack training in key areas like diabetes and epilepsy awareness, so you might need to cover for gaps in skills.
other staff had training gaps in areas such as the care certificate, autism, epilepsy awareness and diabetes awareness.
Staffing is adequate overall but low on some days, which can make shifts feel stretched.
Staff felt occasionally short-staffed, one staff member told us “Some days are well staffed, and some days are really low.”
Medication storage had issues like expired eye drops that needed fixing on the spot.
Medication was not always safely stored. Topical creams were stored in people’s wardrobes. We found some creams that required storing in a fridge were left in the cupboard. We found eye drops that had expired were still being administered.
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: September 2024
Good
Safe
✓
Good
Effective
✓
Good
Caring
✓
Good
Responsive
✓
Good
Management Quality
Well-led: Good
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- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
- PlainSight staff reviews