Charles Lodge Care Home

What families say

Visitors to Charles Lodge have found the staff pleasant and approachable. People mention how engaging the team are when you meet them, creating a welcoming atmosphere from the start.

Based on 4 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare45
• Management & leadership62
• Resident happiness52

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-01-18 · Report published 2019-01-18 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Safe is rated Good at the January 2019 inspection. This indicates inspectors were satisfied that risks were identified and managed, medicines were handled appropriately, and staffing was sufficient at the time of the visit. Charles Lodge is a small home with 27 beds, which can support closer staff-to-resident contact. However, no specific observations, incident records, or staffing numbers are available in the published summary. The inspection is now over five years old, and the safety picture may have changed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring as a baseline, but for your parent living with dementia, the detail behind the rating matters as much as the rating itself. Good Practice research consistently highlights that safety risks in dementia care often concentrate at night, when staffing is thinner and falls or distress episodes are harder to catch quickly. In a 27-bed home, night staffing of even two members of staff can make a significant difference. The absence of specific data in the published summary means you cannot rely on the rating alone. When you visit, ask to see the falls log and ask how incidents are reviewed.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios are one of the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in residential dementia care, and that consistent staffing, rather than high overall numbers, reduces both incidents and avoidable hospital admissions.","watch_out":"Ask: how many staff are on duty on the dementia unit between 10pm and 6am, are any of those agency staff, and can you show me the falls log from the last three months?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"Effective is the one domain rated Requires Improvement at the January 2019 inspection. This is the domain that covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans are kept up to date and reflect individual preferences, whether healthcare is well coordinated, and whether food meets residents' needs. The precise reasons for the Requires Improvement rating are not available in the published summary. A July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence to reassess the overall rating, but this does not confirm the Effective shortfall has been resolved.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Requires Improvement in Effective is the single most important flag on this record for families choosing a dementia care home. It means that at the time of inspection, something in the areas of training, care planning, or healthcare was not good enough. For your mum or dad, this could mean care plans that do not fully capture who they are, what they like, or how their dementia affects them specifically, which in turn affects how every member of staff interacts with them day to day. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans which are regularly reviewed and co-produced with families lead to better outcomes for people with dementia. Ask the manager directly what was found, what changed, and how you would be involved in reviewing your parent's care plan.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans functioning as living documents, updated after any significant health or behavioural change and co-designed with families, are one of the strongest evidence-based markers of effective dementia care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: what specifically was rated Requires Improvement in 2019, what actions were taken to address it, and how frequently would my parent's care plan be reviewed and updated if their dementia progresses?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Caring is rated Good at the January 2019 inspection. This covers whether staff are warm and respectful, whether your parent's dignity and privacy are protected, and whether care is delivered at a pace that suits the person rather than the rota. No specific observations, quotes from residents or relatives, or examples of particular interactions are available in the published summary. A Good rating in Caring is the most personally significant domain for many families, but without specifics it is difficult to paint a detailed picture.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single highest-weighted theme in DCC family review data, cited positively in 57.3% of all positive reviews across UK care homes. A Good rating in Caring suggests inspectors observed acceptable standards of warmth and dignity, but families consistently tell us that the real test is the small moments: whether your dad is called by the name he prefers, whether someone sits with your mum when she is anxious, and whether staff knock before entering a room. These things are hard to measure from a report. Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, and unhurried physical contact matter as much as formal interaction for people with dementia who may have lost verbal communication. You will learn more from an unannounced visit than from any document.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review found that person-centred care in dementia settings depends on staff knowing the individual's history, preferences, and non-verbal cues, and that this knowledge is built through consistent staffing rather than training alone.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch how a staff member responds when your parent or another resident shows signs of agitation or distress. Do they move toward them calmly, make eye contact, and speak quietly? Or do they redirect from a distance?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Responsive is rated Good at the January 2019 inspection. This domain covers whether your parent will have a meaningful daily life, including activities tailored to their interests and abilities, whether their individual needs and preferences shape their care, and whether end-of-life planning is in place. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which suggests some structured approach to engagement. No detail on the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, or individual care planning is available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement are cited in 21.4% of positive family reviews, but families of people with more advanced dementia consistently flag that group activities are not enough. Your parent may reach a stage where they cannot join a group session, and what matters then is whether a staff member will spend time with them individually, perhaps folding laundry, looking at photographs, or simply sitting together. Good Practice evidence, including Montessori-based approaches and the use of familiar household tasks, shows that everyday meaningful activity sustains wellbeing even in advanced dementia. Ask what happens on a rainy Tuesday afternoon for someone who cannot follow a group.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett review found strong evidence that individualised, non-group activity, particularly activity linked to a person's occupational history and daily routines, significantly reduces agitation and improves mood in people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask: for a resident who cannot join group activities, what does a typical weekday afternoon look like, and which staff member is responsible for one-to-one engagement on the dementia unit?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-led is rated Good at the January 2019 inspection, and a named registered manager and nominated individual are on record. The home's trajectory from a previous Requires Improvement overall rating to Good suggests the leadership team drove meaningful improvement. A July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence to change the rating. The manager's name, Mr Perin Varkey Prasad, and nominated individual, Mrs Sarah Louise Eves, are publicly registered. No specific detail about governance processes, staff culture, or family communication is available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good in Well-led is meaningful because leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of consistent care quality over time. The fact that this home improved from Requires Improvement suggests the manager took accountability seriously. In DCC family review data, communication with families is cited in 11.5% of positive reviews, and what families want most is to feel they will be told promptly if something changes with their parent. Ask how the manager communicates with families when a health concern arises, not just at the planned review meeting. Also ask how long the current manager has been in post, because leadership continuity matters more than any single inspection rating.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review found that leadership stability, specifically a consistent registered manager who empowers staff to raise concerns, is the single strongest organisational predictor of sustained care quality in small residential homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, how would you let me know if my parent had a fall or a significant change in health overnight, and what would I do if I had a concern about my parent's care?"}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The home provides care for adults over 65, with specific experience in supporting residents with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on While Charles Lodge lists dementia care as one of their specialisms, we'd encourage you to ask about their specific approach and activities when you visit. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.