Bartholomew Lodge

What families say

Based on 9 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
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-06-14 · Report published 2019-06-14 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Safe was rated Good at the May 2019 inspection. This represents an improvement from the home's previous rating. The published summary does not include specific detail about staffing numbers, incident logging, medicines management, or infection control practices. A named registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safety is reassuring, particularly given the improvement from Requires Improvement. However, Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in smaller nursing homes. With 30 beds, you want to know exactly how many staff are on duty overnight and whether those are permanent employees or agency workers. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness accounts for 14% of the themes families mention positively, and the absence of specific inspector observations here means you will need to gather this picture yourself on a visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) found that reliance on agency staff undermines continuity of care, particularly for people with dementia who benefit from familiar faces and consistent routines.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not the template. Count how many named permanent staff covered night shifts versus agency workers, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for the 30-bed unit."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good at the May 2019 inspection. The home is registered to provide nursing care alongside personal care, and to treat disease and disorder, indicating a clinical offer beyond basic residential support. No specific detail about care plan quality, GP access, dementia training content, or nutrition is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effectiveness means inspectors were satisfied that the home knew what it was doing at the time of assessment. For a home caring for people with dementia and physical disabilities, what this should look like in practice includes care plans that are updated regularly and reflect your parent as an individual, not just their diagnosis. Food quality accounts for 20.9% of the themes families highlight in our review data, and healthcare access accounts for 20.2%, yet neither is described in specific terms here. The evidence base tells us care plans should function as living documents, revised whenever a person's needs or preferences change, so ask to see an example.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans function best as living documents reviewed in partnership with families, with changes made promptly when a person's health or behaviour shifts, rather than updated only at fixed intervals.","watch_out":"Ask how often care plans are formally reviewed, and request an example of a recent review to see whether it reflects changes in the person's condition or simply repeats what was written at admission. Also ask who attends those reviews: is the family invited?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Caring was rated Good at the May 2019 inspection. This is the domain most directly relevant to whether your parent will feel respected and valued day to day. The published summary includes no inspector observations about staff interactions, use of preferred names, response to distress, or whether residents appeared settled and content. A Good rating in this domain was confirmed by the inspection team.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in whether staff knock before entering a room, whether they use your parent's preferred name rather than a generic term, and whether they move without obvious hurry during personal care. The absence of specific inspector observations here does not mean these things were absent, but it does mean you cannot take them on trust from the report alone. Good Practice research emphasises that non-verbal communication matters as much as spoken words for people with advanced dementia, so watch how staff physically position themselves and whether they make eye contact.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care requires knowing the individual's history, preferences, and communication style, and that staff who understand a person's life story are better placed to interpret behaviour that might otherwise be labelled as challenging.","watch_out":"During your visit, find a moment to watch a staff member help a resident with something, even something small like passing a drink or supporting movement. Notice whether the interaction feels unhurried, whether the staff member addresses the resident by name, and whether they explain what they are about to do before doing it."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the May 2019 inspection. The home is registered for dementia care, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, suggesting it is set up to respond to a range of individual needs. No specific detail about activities, individualised engagement, or end-of-life planning is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of the themes families raise in our review data, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. For someone with dementia, meaningful activity is not a luxury: Good Practice research points to Montessori-based approaches and familiar household tasks as particularly effective in supporting wellbeing. Group activities alone are not enough, especially for residents who can no longer join in due to physical or cognitive changes. Ask specifically what provision exists for one-to-one engagement. The Good rating here is encouraging but the lack of detail means you need to see the activity programme and ask about individual engagement before drawing conclusions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that tailored one-to-one activities, rather than group sessions alone, are associated with better wellbeing outcomes for people with moderate to advanced dementia, and that everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, and gardening can provide meaningful engagement.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity schedule for the past two weeks, not a planned template. Then ask what happens for residents who cannot join group sessions: who provides individual engagement, how often, and what that looks like in practice."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Good at the May 2019 inspection. A registered manager, Mrs Petty Mhlanga, and a nominated individual, Ms Amanda Jayne Robinson, were named in the report. The home's improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating suggests leadership has driven meaningful change. No detail about management visibility, staff culture, or family communication channels is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of ongoing quality in a care home. Good Practice research shows that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where the manager is a visible presence on the floor rather than desk-bound, tend to maintain and improve their standards over time. Management accounts for 23.4% of positive themes in our family review data, and communication with families accounts for a further 11.5%. The fact that this home improved its rating suggests the manager is doing something right, but the inspection took place in 2019, which is now several years ago. You need to establish whether the same leadership team is still in place and whether the culture of improvement has continued.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability and a culture where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without hierarchy are among the most reliable predictors of sustained quality, particularly in homes caring for people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post, whether there have been significant staffing changes in the past 12 months, and how they find out if something is going wrong before it becomes a serious incident. A good manager will be able to answer the last question with a specific example."}

  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 team supports residents with various needs, from sensory impairments to physical disabilities. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents, with particular experience in dementia care.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the nursing team provides person-centred support. Their approach focuses on maintaining dignity while helping residents feel comfortable and cared for. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.