Working at The Lilacs Residential Home
121 Chalkwell Avenue, Westcliff-on-sea, SS0 8NL
Operated by Oak Lodge Care Ltd
17 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
5.4/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 9 February 2026
Score: 5.4/10
Key Finding
"Stable staffing without agency use and regular training with supervisions, but unsafe medicines management and poor manager oversight hold it back."
Safety & Risk
3/10
✕
Medication was not always managed safely. We reviewed medication administration records (MARs) and found gaps in recording... we found an additional two tablets, which indicated the medicines had been signed for as administered but had not been given.
Staff Culture
6/10
✓
The registered manager was very visible in the service and staff told us they felt well supported by the management team. Staff had regular staff meetings to share ideas.
Staffing Levels
7/10
✓
Staff were supported by regular staff who knew them well. The registered manager did not use agency staff at the service. We observed staff met people's needs promptly.
Training & Dev
6/10
✓
New staff were supported to have a full induction at the service, which included shadow shifts and training. Staff new to care were supported to complete the Care Certificate. Staff had regular 1:1 supervision.
Management
4/10
!
The registered manager did not have full oversight of the service. Some audits had been assigned to other staff members to complete, these had become ineffective in identifying the issues we had found with medicines.
Programmes
4/10
!
There was no one member of staff responsible for activities with people. We saw people enjoying an armchair yoga session... musical hangman is very popular and indoor skittles.
Points to consider
Medicines were sometimes missed or not recorded properly, creating safety risks for residents.
We reviewed medication administration records (MARs) and found gaps in recording. This meant we could not be assured people had received their medicines as prescribed. On checking one person's medication we found an additional two tablets, which indicated the medicines had been signed for as administered but had not been given.
The manager lacks full oversight and audits missed medicine problems until inspectors found them.
The registered manager did not have full oversight of the service. Some audits had been assigned to other staff members to complete, these had become ineffective in identifying the issues we had found with medicines.
No dedicated activities person, so just basic games and yoga done by care staff with no regular programme.
There was no one member of staff responsible for activities with people, the registered manager said, 'We have a number of activities we have brought and do with people... Musical hangman is very popular and indoor skittles.'
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: September 2022
Requires improvement
Safe
!
Requires improvement
Effective
✓
Good
Caring
✓
Good
Responsive
✓
Good
Management Quality
Well-led: Requires improvement
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- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
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