Dunniwood Lodge Care Home

What families say

People describe the staff here as genuinely caring and cheerful, with a professional approach that puts families at ease. There's a real sense that residents are seen as individuals, treated with the respect they deserve throughout their daily routines.

Based on 12 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-06-04 · Report published 2021-06-04 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the May 2025 inspection. This means inspectors were satisfied that the home manages risk, medicines, and staffing at an acceptable level. The previous Requires Improvement rating had included concerns that have since been addressed. No specific observations about falls management, infection control, or staffing ratios are reproduced in the published text. The home cares for people with dementia and physical disabilities, both of which carry particular safety considerations.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safe is reassuring, but the detail that matters most to families is not always in the headline. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness, the sense that someone is always watching, accounts for a significant part of what families praise in positive reviews. For a 41-bed home with a dementia specialism, the critical safety question is what happens after 8pm. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes of this size. The improvement from Requires Improvement tells you the management team can respond to problems, which is genuinely important, but you need to verify the specifics yourself.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in residential dementia care, yet they are among the least consistently reported in published inspection summaries.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many staff are on duty overnight, specifically on the dementia unit, and what is the split between permanent staff and agency cover on those night shifts? Ask to see last week's actual rota, not the staffing template."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the May 2025 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have looked at whether staff have relevant dementia-specific training and whether care plans reflect individual needs. No specific detail about training content, GP access arrangements, food quality, or care plan review frequency is reproduced in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Food quality is the third most commonly mentioned theme in positive family reviews in our data, and it is a reliable proxy for how attentive the home is to individual needs generally. A Good rating in Effective tells you inspectors were satisfied, but it does not tell you whether your parent would have real choice at mealtimes, whether dietary preferences would be recorded and followed, or how often the care plan would be updated as their needs change. Good Practice research identifies care plans as living documents that should change with the person, not be filed and forgotten. Ask specifically how families are involved when plans are reviewed.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plan currency as a key quality marker: plans that are reviewed at least monthly and updated after any significant change in health or behaviour are associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often would my parent's care plan be formally reviewed, and would I be invited to take part? Then ask to see an example of how a plan has been updated in response to a change in a resident's condition."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the May 2025 inspection. This domain is the one families care most about, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether your parent is treated as an individual. Inspectors would have observed staff interactions, checked whether residents were addressed by preferred names, and looked for signs of unhurried, respectful care. No direct observations or resident and relative quotes are reproduced in the available published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single largest driver of positive family reviews in our data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring means inspectors saw something that satisfied them, and that matters. But because no specific observations are reproduced here, you cannot know from this report alone whether the warmth is consistent, whether it extends to residents who cannot easily communicate their preferences, or whether it holds up during busy periods. Good Practice research emphasises that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal interaction for people living with dementia, and this is very hard to assess from a summary rating alone. A visit, ideally at a busy time such as lunch or mid-morning, will tell you more than any document.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-centred care for people living with dementia depends on staff knowing the individual's history, preferences, and communication style, not just following a care plan, and that this knowledge is built through consistency of staffing rather than training alone.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch how staff address your parent during a brief interaction arranged as part of the tour. Do they use the preferred name? Do they make eye contact and wait for a response, or do they move on quickly? This unhurried pace is the most reliable observable signal of genuine warmth."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the May 2025 inspection. This domain covers whether the home responds to each person as an individual, including activities, end-of-life care, and how the home handles complaints. The home supports people living with dementia as well as those with physical disabilities, which means the activities programme needs to work for a wide range of abilities. No specific detail about activities provision, individual engagement, or complaint-handling examples is reproduced in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of the weighting in positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness, which activities directly support, accounts for 27.1%. For people living with dementia, Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient: one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, or simple gardening, can be as meaningful as a structured activity session and is often more accessible for people in the later stages. A Good rating tells you inspectors were satisfied with the overall picture, but you need to ask specifically what happens for your parent on a day when they cannot join a group.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household task integration, rather than group-only activity programmes, are associated with significantly better wellbeing outcomes for people living with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: what would happen on a typical Tuesday afternoon for a resident who prefers not to join group sessions? Can you show me the activity records for a resident with more advanced dementia from the last two weeks?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the May 2025 inspection. A registered manager, Miss Gemma Lucy Lindley, and a nominated individual, Miss Joanne McHugh, are both confirmed in post. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating to Good across all five domains is the strongest available signal of effective leadership, because it requires inspectors to verify that identified problems have been addressed systematically rather than superficially. No specific detail about manager visibility, staff culture, governance processes, or how the home handles complaints is reproduced in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of the weighting in positive family reviews in our data, and communication with families contributes a further 11.5%. Good Practice research is consistent on one point above all others: leadership stability predicts quality trajectory. A home that has moved from Requires Improvement to Good has demonstrated it can improve, and a named manager in post is a positive sign. What families cannot yet know from this report is how long the current manager has been in post, whether the improvement is recent and still consolidating, or how staff feel about speaking up when something goes wrong. These are questions worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability, specifically a consistent registered manager who is known to staff, residents, and families by name, is among the strongest single predictors of sustained quality in residential care settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in post here, and what was the main thing you changed after the previous inspection? A confident, specific answer is a good sign. Hesitation or a vague response about general improvements is worth noting."}

  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 cares for adults both under and over 65, including those living with dementia and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff here understand the importance of creating a calm but engaging environment for people living with dementia. The balance between peaceful spaces and lively communal activities helps residents feel comfortable while staying connected. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.