Boulevard Lodge Care Home

What families say

Based on 2 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
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-05-02 · Report published 2019-05-02 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the March 2019 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. This indicates that specific concerns identified in the earlier inspection were addressed. No narrative detail about what was found u2014 medicines management, staffing levels, falls prevention, infection control u2014 is available in the published report text. A 2023 data review found no evidence requiring reassessment of this rating. The home cares for people with dementia and mental health conditions in a 9-bed setting, making consistent, attentive staffing especially important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety after a previous Requires Improvement is a positive sign u2014 it means the home identified what was wrong and fixed it. But with no published detail, you cannot verify what the earlier concerns were or how they were resolved. Our family review data shows that safe environment and staff attentiveness are among the factors families notice most. In a small home like this, night staffing is particularly critical: Good Practice research consistently finds that safety incidents cluster in evening and overnight hours when staffing is thinnest. Before committing, ask directly how many staff are awake and on duty after 8pm.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels are where safety most commonly slips in care homes, and that agency staff reliance undermines the consistency of care that keeps people safe.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'How many staff are awake and on duty overnight, and what proportion of those shifts are covered by permanent rather than agency staff?' Then ask to see the incident log to understand how frequently falls or accidents occur and what changes followed."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the March 2019 inspection. No specific findings about care planning, dementia training, healthcare access, GP involvement, or food quality are available in the published report text. The home is registered to support people with dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions u2014 a combination that requires staff with specific, up-to-date skills. A 2023 data review did not identify evidence requiring the rating to be changed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in dementia care is about whether staff truly understand your parent as an individual u2014 their history, preferences, what calms them, what distresses them u2014 and whether care plans reflect that knowledge and are updated regularly. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care and food quality are among the themes families value most. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans must function as living documents, not filing-cabinet paperwork. In a 9-bed home, the small team should in theory know each resident well u2014 but this depends heavily on low staff turnover and consistent training. Ask to see an example of how the home would record and act on your parent's personal preferences.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies regular, meaningful care plan reviews u2014 involving the person and their family u2014 as a key marker of effective dementia care, alongside access to dementia-specialist training for all staff, not just senior carers.","watch_out":"Ask: 'How often are care plans formally reviewed, and how would my parent's changing needs u2014 including communication difficulties as dementia progresses u2014 be reflected in their plan?' Ask to see how a care plan actually looks and whether it includes personal history and preferences."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the March 2019 inspection. No inspector observations of staff interactions, no resident testimony, and no family quotes are available in the published report. The home supports a mixed group including people with dementia and mental health conditions, where non-verbal communication and sensitivity to distress are especially important markers of caring practice. A 2023 data review found no reason to revise this rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth and compassion are the themes families weight most heavily in our review data u2014 together they account for over half of what determines whether a family feels a home is right. A Good rating for Caring is encouraging, but without specific observations or quotes it is impossible to know what the inspector actually saw. When you visit, pay attention to how staff speak to residents in passing u2014 do they use preferred names, do they crouch down to make eye contact, do they seem unhurried? Good Practice research emphasises that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia. Trust your instincts on a visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base is clear that person-led care requires knowing the individual u2014 their life history, communication style, and what brings them comfort u2014 and that this knowledge must be embedded in staff practice, not just written in a file.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch an unscripted moment: how does a staff member respond when a resident with dementia appears confused or upset? Do they pause, make eye contact, and respond calmly u2014 or do they redirect quickly without acknowledging the person's feelings?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the March 2019 inspection. No detail about activities, individual engagement, end-of-life planning, or how the home responds to changing needs is available in the published report text. For a 9-bed home supporting people with dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions, meaningful individualised activity u2014 not just group programmes u2014 is especially important. A 2023 data review found no evidence requiring reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Responsiveness is about whether your parent will have a real life in this home u2014 whether they are engaged, stimulated, and treated as an individual rather than managed as a group. Our family review data shows resident happiness and activities are among the top concerns for families. In a small 9-bed home, there is genuine potential for highly personalised engagement u2014 but this requires dedicated staff time for one-to-one activity, which is harder to guarantee without detail on staffing ratios. Good Practice evidence consistently shows that structured one-to-one activity for people who cannot join groups is one of the strongest predictors of wellbeing in dementia care. Ask specifically what happens for your parent on a day when they are unable or unwilling to join a group session.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and familiar everyday household tasks u2014 adapted to the individual's abilities u2014 produce significantly better wellbeing outcomes than group entertainment activities alone, particularly for people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask: 'If my parent has a day when they don't want to join a group activity u2014 or can't because of their dementia u2014 what would a member of staff do with them one-to-one?' Ask to see the actual activity log from the past two weeks, not just the planned schedule."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the March 2019 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement u2014 a meaningful turnaround that suggests leadership took accountability seriously. The home is run by Boulevard Lodge Limited with a named Nominated Individual (Mr Liaqat Ali Khan). No specific observations about management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or family communication are available in the published report. The 2023 data review found no new concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good leadership is what makes everything else possible u2014 it determines whether staff feel supported, whether problems are spotted and fixed, and whether families are kept in the loop. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is the most meaningful signal in this report: it tells you that when things went wrong, someone in charge responded. Our family review data shows that communication with families and visible management are what build long-term trust. Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as the single strongest predictor of care quality trajectory. The key questions now are whether the same leadership team is still in place and whether the culture of improvement has been maintained in the five-plus years since this inspection.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies leadership stability and a culture where staff can speak up about concerns without fear as the strongest predictors of sustained care quality u2014 homes that improve and stay improved have managers who are present, consistent, and invested in staff development.","watch_out":"Ask: 'Is the same manager who led the improvement to Good still in post, and how long have the majority of your permanent care staff been working here?' High staff turnover after a positive inspection is a warning sign that the culture may not have been embedded."}

  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 adults across different age groups, with particular expertise in dementia care, mental health conditions and learning disabilities. This combination of specialisms means they're equipped to help residents with varying and sometimes complex care needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home provides specialist support tailored to individual needs. The team understands the importance of creating a structured, reassuring environment for residents navigating memory loss. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.