Broughton Lodge

What families say

Families tell us the atmosphere here feels relaxed and welcoming. They see their relatives participating in activities that match their interests, and staff who remember the little things that make each resident feel at home.

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality65
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-18 · Report published 2023-05-18 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Safety was rated Good at the August 2025 inspection, recovering from a period when the home was rated Requires Improvement overall. For an 18-bed dementia-specialist home, safety encompasses staffing levels at night, medicines management, infection control, and how falls and incidents are recorded and learned from. No specific observations, data points, or quotes are available in the published excerpt to detail how safety was evidenced. The improvement from the previous rating is encouraging, but families should probe the specifics rather than rely on the headline.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating means inspectors were satisfied that your parent would be protected from avoidable harm u2014 but for someone living with dementia, safety is about more than locked doors. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing is where safety most often slips in small residential homes: with 18 beds, the difference between one and two staff overnight is significant. Our family review data shows that 'staff attentiveness' is mentioned in 14% of positive reviews u2014 families notice when staff are present and responsive, and they notice when they are not. Ask directly how many staff are on duty overnight and whether night staff are permanent or agency. Also ask how the home logs falls and near-misses, and what changed after the Requires Improvement rating to bring safety back to Good.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of poorer safety outcomes in dementia care settings, because continuity of personnel is itself a protective factor u2014 familiar faces reduce agitation and the risk of undetected deterioration.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'How many staff are on duty overnight, and are they permanent members of your team or agency workers?' Then ask to see the falls log for the last three months and whether any patterns were acted on."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Effectiveness was rated Good at the August 2025 inspection. For a dementia-specialist home, this domain covers the quality and currency of care plans, how well staff understand dementia, the regularity of GP and specialist input, medicines management, and whether food meets the nutritional and preference needs of each person. No supporting detail u2014 no care plan observations, no training evidence, no food or healthcare specifics u2014 is available in the published excerpt. The rating is positive but the evidence base behind it cannot be assessed from what is available here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness is where good intentions become good practice u2014 and for your mum or dad living with dementia, it means staff knowing not just their name but their history, their preferences, what calms them, and what distresses them. Our family review data shows that healthcare responsiveness is cited in roughly 20% of positive reviews, and food quality in a similar proportion u2014 these are not peripheral concerns. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents reviewed at least monthly in dementia care, with families actively involved. Ask to see a sample care plan on your visit u2014 not the whole document, but ask the manager to walk you through how it captures your parent's individual preferences and how often it is updated.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that care plan quality u2014 specifically whether plans reflect the person's life history, communication preferences, and current presentation u2014 is one of the strongest predictors of person-centred outcomes in dementia care, more so than the formal training hours recorded.","watch_out":"Ask: 'If my parent stopped eating well, what would happen u2014 who would be contacted, in what order, and how quickly?' This tests both healthcare responsiveness and whether care plans translate into real action."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain u2014 which covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how staff respond to the emotional needs of residents u2014 was rated Good at the August 2025 inspection. This is the domain families care about most: in our review data, staff warmth and compassion together account for over half of what families report in positive reviews. No direct observations, no staff interaction descriptions, and no resident or family quotes are available in the published excerpt to illustrate how this Good rating was earned. The rating is the right outcome to aim for, but the absence of supporting detail means families will need to form their own assessment on a visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, kindness is not a soft extra u2014 it is clinical. Good Practice research is clear that how staff communicate, including through touch, tone of voice, and unhurried presence, directly affects agitation, distress, and physical health outcomes. In our family review data, 57% of positive reviews mention staff warmth unprompted u2014 it is the single most important thing families report. A Good rating in Caring is meaningful, but you can only truly assess this by visiting at different times of day, watching corridor interactions, and noticing whether staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted. A home that is genuinely caring will be able to tell you not just your parent's name but the things that make them laugh.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that non-verbal communication u2014 staff posture, eye contact, and pace u2014 matters as much as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia, and that rushed or task-focused interactions are consistently associated with increased behavioural distress.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch what happens when a resident calls out or appears unsettled. Does a staff member respond promptly, get to their level, and speak calmly u2014 or is the response hurried or task-focused? This single observation tells you more than any document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Responsiveness u2014 covering activities, individual engagement, and whether the home adapts its approach to each person's changing needs u2014 was rated Good at the August 2025 inspection. For a dementia-specialist home, this domain is particularly important: it reflects whether your parent will have a meaningful daily life, not just a safe one. No information about the activities programme, one-to-one engagement, or how the home responds to individual preferences is available in the published excerpt. Families should ask directly about what a typical day looks like and what happens when residents are unable to join group activities.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities in a dementia care home are not entertainment u2014 they are therapeutic. Good Practice evidence shows that tailored, individual activities including familiar household tasks, sensory engagement, and life-history-based interaction have measurable benefits for mood, sleep, and reduced agitation. In our family review data, 21% of positive reviews mention activities specifically. For an 18-bed home, a small activity coordinator team is realistic, but the question is whether engagement happens between organised sessions u2014 during personal care, mealtimes, and quiet moments. Ask the home what your parent would be doing at 3pm on a Tuesday if they were not able to join the main group activity.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and life-history-informed individual activities u2014 rather than passive group entertainment u2014 are associated with the strongest improvements in wellbeing for people with moderate to advanced dementia, and that these approaches require staff to know each resident as an individual.","watch_out":"Ask: 'For a resident who can no longer join group activities, what does one-to-one engagement look like u2014 who does it, how often, and how is it recorded in the care plan?' A confident, specific answer with named staff and recorded frequency is a good sign; a vague answer is not."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Leadership and governance were rated Good at the August 2025 inspection, recovering from the Requires Improvement rating of May 2023. The home has a named Registered Manager (Mrs Jemma Marie Courtney) and a Nominated Individual (Mrs Preeti Patel), both recorded on the registration. For a small 18-bed home, management stability and a clear accountability structure matter enormously u2014 the manager is likely the person who sets the tone for every interaction. No detail about governance processes, staff culture, or how the home communicates with families is available in the published excerpt.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research is consistent on this point: leadership stability is the single strongest predictor of sustained quality in care homes. A home that was Requires Improvement and has returned to Good has done something right u2014 management has identified problems and fixed them. But families should understand what changed and whether those changes are embedded. Our family review data shows that 23% of positive reviews mention management positively, often citing visible managers who know residents by name and respond quickly to family concerns. Ask the manager directly what caused the 2023 Requires Improvement rating and what specifically changed. A manager who answers this clearly and without defensiveness is demonstrating exactly the kind of accountability that Good Practice research associates with sustained improvement.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that leadership which empowers frontline staff to raise concerns u2014 rather than managing compliance from above u2014 is the most consistent predictor of both staff retention and resident wellbeing in dementia-specialist settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'What was the main reason for the Requires Improvement rating in 2023, and how have you made sure the same issue won't recur?' Then ask how long they have personally been in post. A manager who has been there throughout the improvement period is a stronger signal than one who arrived after the problems were identified."}

  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 Broughton Lodge cares for adults over 65, with particular expertise in dementia care.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home's approach to dementia care centres on understanding each person's unique needs and preferences. Staff work to maintain routines that feel familiar while encouraging residents to stay engaged through carefully chosen activities. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.