GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: GoodRated 4 months ago↑ Up from Req. improvementNew owner since May 2024
SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?59%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown5 of 8 below good
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Learning cultureSome shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Safe environmentsSome shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
SafeguardingGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?71%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 6 below good
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
Consent to care and treatmentGood
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentGood
How staff, teams and services work togetherGood
Monitoring and improving outcomesGood
Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?70%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 5 below good
Treating people as individualsSome shortfalls
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?68%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 7 below good
Person-centred careSome shortfalls
Planning for the futureSome shortfalls
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?64%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 7 below good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSome shortfalls
Governance, management and sustainabilitySome shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSome shortfalls
Freedom to speak upGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Shared direction and cultureGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 21 good, 12 below good. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?
CQC hasn't inspected this home for more than 5 years. It re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating doesn't count against a home on this site, but it may not reflect the home today. ?
The Lodge is in the Good, with an area to improve tier ?, with 47 other homes in Essex.
84% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
The Lodge is a 25-bed residential care home in Maldon, Essex, run by SDM Care Homes LTD. It is registered to care for older people, people with dementia and younger adults.
47 other homes in Essex share its tier, “Good, with an area to improve”. Food hygiene inspectors scored the kitchen 5 out of 5 in July 2026. 89% of homes in Essex also score 5. SDM Care Homes LTD has run the home since May 2024, when it changed owner. Firstlings, 1.3 km away, is the closest home rated Outstanding. 1 of SDM Care Homes LTD’s 2 rated homes are Good or Outstanding (compare care home groups).
CQC last rated the home in June 2026, giving it Good overall. Effective, caring, responsive and well-led were also Good. Safe was rated Requires improvement. That is up from Requires improvement in February 2024. The typical rating in Essex is about 5 years old, so this one is fairly recent. 12 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “treating people as individuals”.
