Case Study: Care Group Achieves CQC Outstanding Rating After Anti-Slip Flooring Roll-Out Across 6 Homes
The Challenge
Sunridge Care Group operates six residential and nursing care homes across Surrey and Hampshire with a combined registered capacity of 284 residents. Falls prevention is a persistent priority in any care home setting — around 30% of people over 65 fall at least once a year, and the rate is higher among care home residents due to conditions affecting balance and gait. For Sunridge, the frequency of corridor falls was becoming a pattern that demanded systematic attention.
In 2022, clinical governance director Patricia Webb reviewed falls data across all six homes. The analysis showed 47 falls involving residents in corridor and communal transition areas across the group in the preceding twelve months — above the industry benchmark for homes with comparable resident profiles. Seven of these falls had resulted in formal incident investigations, two had resulted in fractures (a wrist and a hip), both requiring hospital admission.
A CQC inspection of one Surrey home in late 2022 rated it as Requires Improvement in the Safe domain. The inspector's report noted that falls risk management was not sufficiently proactive and that the corridor flooring — a smooth commercial vinyl that had become worn and offered reduced friction — was a contributory environmental risk factor.
There was a secondary issue. Care staff at nurse station positions and medication preparation areas were reporting elevated rates of lower limb fatigue and musculoskeletal complaints. Two occupational health referrals in the preceding year had cited prolonged standing on hard flooring as a contributing factor.
Why Rubber Matting Direct
The clinical governance team drew up a dual specification: anti-slip rubber flooring for corridor and transition areas at each home, and anti-fatigue matting for nurse station positions. The flooring needed to meet specific care home requirements — suitable for residents using walking frames and wheelchairs, providing adequate anti-slip friction without excessive surface resistance that would make mobility aid use difficult.
Rubber Matting Direct's fine rib anti-slip rubber flooring met the mobility aid requirement: the fine rib profile provides anti-slip friction when walking but offers minimal resistance to the wheels of zimmer frames and wheelchairs. At 3mm thickness, the flooring could be laid over existing corridor surfaces at most homes without creating a problematic step at door thresholds — important where trip hazards at transitions are a specific falls risk.
The anti-fatigue matting for nurse stations was specified at 9mm with a solid smooth top surface — appropriate for areas where mobility aids would also roll across it when residents approach the medication window.
The Solution
The installation was carried out across all six homes over a six-week programme. At each home, corridor flooring was installed first — working from the main entrance to the furthest wing — followed by nurse station matting. The installation team worked between 7am and 9am each day to complete sections before residents began their morning routines, then returned after 8pm to continue.
Each home required an average of 95m² of corridor flooring, varying from 78m² at the smallest home to 118m² at the largest. The flooring was supplied in 1.5m wide rolls cut to the corridor lengths at each home, adhesive-fixed to the existing vinyl substrate. At three homes, sections of existing vinyl that had lifted were removed and the subfloor skim-filled before laying. Threshold transitions received aluminium transition strips at doorway positions — an important detail in a care home where any raised edge represents a specific trip risk for residents with shuffling gaits.
The Results
In the twelve months following completion, Sunridge Care Group recorded zero falls attributable to flooring conditions across all six homes. The total falls count in corridor and communal transition areas fell from 47 in the pre-installation year to 19 — a reduction of 60%. The group's clinical governance report noted that falls were now concentrated in bedroom environments, consistent with national benchmarking data and a significantly lower-risk profile.
The Surrey home that had received a Requires Improvement CQC rating was re-inspected in autumn 2023 — rated Good in the Safe domain. In March 2024, another of the group's Hampshire homes was rated Outstanding overall. The inspector specifically noted the group's proactive approach to environmental falls risk management, with the anti-slip flooring installation cited as an example. Staff occupational health referrals for musculoskeletal conditions fell from seven in the pre-installation year to three.
"We had falls data showing a problem, we had a CQC report naming the corridor flooring, and we had staff telling us their legs were giving out by the end of a twelve-hour shift. We addressed all three with the flooring programme. The falls numbers are down significantly, the CQC inspection went well, and the staff feedback has been positive."— Patricia Webb, Clinical Governance Director, Sunridge Care Group
Product Details
| Location | Product | Area (per home) |
|---|---|---|
| Corridors & transitions | Anti-Slip Fine Rib Rubber Flooring Roll (3mm) | Avg. 82m² |
| Nurse stations | Anti-Fatigue Rubber Matting (9mm, solid top) | Avg. 13m² |
Could This Work for Your Care Setting?
Anti-slip rubber flooring suitable for care home corridors is available in fine rib profile at 3mm and 4mm, in rolls cut to your specific corridor widths. The combination of anti-slip flooring for resident areas and anti-fatigue matting for staff workstations was developed in response to the specific requirements of adult social care settings, where both resident safety and staff wellbeing are regulatory priorities.
Rubber Matting Direct can provide product samples and anti-slip rating documentation for review by your clinical governance team. Trade accounts available for care home operators and NHS-commissioned social care providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What flooring is recommended by CQC for care homes?
CQC does not prescribe specific flooring products, but their inspection framework assesses whether environments are safe and whether falls risks have been adequately mitigated. Anti-slip flooring in corridors and transition areas, appropriate contrast for residents with visual impairment, and flooring that does not impede mobility aid use are all relevant considerations.
How do you reduce falls in care homes?
Falls reduction involves environmental, clinical, and organisational measures. Anti-slip flooring in high-risk areas is an environmental measure. Other evidence-based interventions include medication review, strength and balance exercises, adequate lighting, and regular footwear assessment.
What is anti-fatigue matting and does it benefit care home staff?
Anti-fatigue matting is cushioned rubber matting placed at standing workstations to reduce lower limb fatigue. Care staff often stand for extended periods at medication trolleys, reception desks, and nurse stations. Anti-fatigue matting at these positions has been shown to reduce reported fatigue and lower back discomfort.
Is rubber flooring suitable for care homes with residents using mobility aids?
Yes, provided it is correctly specified. A fine rib or smooth anti-slip profile at 3-4mm thickness is typically appropriate for care home corridors — providing anti-slip friction without excessive resistance to wheelchair and zimmer frame use.
Can anti-slip rubber flooring be installed in a care home without closing it?
Yes. Anti-slip rubber flooring rolls can be installed section by section, allowing the home to remain operational throughout. Work is usually scheduled around quieter periods (early morning, evenings) to minimise disruption to residents.