Lindisfarne Birtley Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds66
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2021-06-24
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness72
- Activities & engagement68
- Food quality65
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership75
- Resident happiness70
What inspectors found
Inspected 2021-06-24 · Report published 2021-06-24 · Inspected 6 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. This follows a previous overall Requires Improvement rating, suggesting that safety practices have been strengthened since the last full assessment. The home supports a complex mix of residents including people with dementia, physical disabilities, and mental health conditions across 66 beds. No specific safety concerns are highlighted in the published summary. The Good rating implies that medicines management, staffing, and risk management were assessed as satisfactory.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating at a home that previously had concerns is reassuring u2014 it suggests the team identified what needed to change and acted on it. However, for a 66-bed home supporting dementia and complex needs, safety after dark is where families most often report concerns. Our family review data shows safe environment and staff attentiveness are among the themes families mention most frequently. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety slips u2014 inspections typically happen during the day, so asking about overnight ratios is essential. The improvement trend is a positive signal, but you should verify it holds at night and on weekends.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance undermines consistency and that safety incidents are more likely when residents are not known to the person caring for them u2014 making permanent staff retention a key safety indicator.","watch_out":"Ask the home: how many permanent (non-agency) staff are on duty overnight across all 66 beds, and is there always a qualified nurse on the dementia unit after 8pm? Then ask to see the last three months' agency usage figures."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. For a home with dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities as declared specialisms, this domain covers staff training, care planning, GP and healthcare access, and nutrition. A Good rating implies these areas were not found to be deficient. The home is run by Gainford Care Homes Limited, a provider with multiple services, which typically means access to centralised training resources. No specific training content, care plan examples, or healthcare access details are described in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your mum or dad u2014 especially if they have dementia u2014 'effective' means staff know what they're doing and adjust their approach as needs change. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care and healthcare access are themes families mention repeatedly. Good Practice evidence emphasises that care plans should be treated as living documents, updated with family input after every significant change u2014 not just annually. The Effective rating tells us the inspectors were satisfied, but it does not tell us how often care plans are reviewed or whether your family would be called when something changes. That is a question to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies regular, accessible GP review and meaningful family participation in care plan updates as two of the strongest predictors of whether a person with dementia receives care that truly fits them.","watch_out":"Ask: how often are care plans formally reviewed, and will you be contacted u2014 not just notified in writing u2014 when your parent's needs or preferences change? Ask to see a sample of how the home records a resident's personal history and daily preferences."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. This domain assesses whether staff treat residents with kindness, dignity, and respect u2014 including how they support independence and respond to emotional needs. For a home supporting people with dementia and mental health conditions, this is one of the most important domains. A Good rating indicates the inspection team did not observe or hear about poor care interactions. Without the full report text, no specific quotes, named staff observations, or resident testimony are available to illustrate what Good looks like in practice at this home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth and compassion are the two highest-weighted themes in our family review data u2014 57.3% and 55.2% respectively u2014 because families know that ratings measure compliance, but what you cannot measure is whether a care worker holds your dad's hand when he is frightened, or uses his preferred name. Good Practice research is clear that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone, touch, unhurried pace u2014 matters as much as what is said. A Good caring rating is encouraging, but your visit is the only way to see this for yourself. Watch how staff greet residents they pass in corridors, not just when they are performing a task.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that person-led care u2014 where staff genuinely know the individual's history, preferences, and communication style u2014 is the single most consistent predictor of resident wellbeing in dementia care settings.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff use your parent's preferred name unprompted, make eye contact at the resident's level, and respond to distress without immediately seeking to redirect or medicate. Ask staff directly: what do you know about this resident's life before they came here?"}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors its care and activities to individual residents, responds to complaints, and plans appropriately for end of life. For a home with 66 beds and residents with dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities, responsiveness requires more than a standard activity programme. A Good rating suggests the inspection team found the home was meeting individual needs adequately. No specific activity examples, end-of-life planning details, or individual tailoring observations are described in the available summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness are among the themes families mention most in our review data u2014 but what families consistently describe as meaningful is not organised group entertainment, it is the small moments of purpose and connection in an ordinary day. Good Practice research strongly supports Montessori-based and household-task approaches for people with dementia, particularly those who cannot join group activities. A Good Responsive rating is positive, but on your visit, ask specifically what happens for your parent on a day when there is no organised activity, or if they cannot leave their room. That is where the quality of responsiveness is truly tested.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that one-to-one engagement for residents with advanced dementia u2014 rather than group-only programming u2014 is associated with significantly reduced agitation and improved wellbeing, and remains one of the most underprovided elements in UK care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the home to show you the activity records for a resident with advanced dementia over the past two weeks u2014 not the programme on the noticeboard, but what was actually recorded as happening for that individual. Ask whether activities staff work evenings and weekends."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection, and the home's overall trajectory has improved from a previous Requires Improvement rating. The home is managed by two registered managers u2014 Mr Scott Harbottle and Mrs Carol Ann Locker u2014 with Mrs Susan McAlear as the nominated individual for provider Gainford Care Homes Limited. Having dual registered managers at a 66-bed complex-needs home is a notable structural decision that may reflect the breadth of specialisms supported. The improvement in rating suggests governance, accountability, and learning from incidents have been strengthened since the previous inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time u2014 our family review data shows that families who feel communication with management is good are significantly more likely to rate a home positively overall. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is meaningful and should not be dismissed. Good Practice research finds that homes where staff feel able to speak up u2014 not just where managers are visible on paper u2014 sustain better outcomes. On your visit, ask the manager directly what changed since the previous inspection and what they are still working on. A leader who answers that honestly is one worth trusting.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review identifies management tenure and staff empowerment u2014 whether care workers feel able to raise concerns without fear u2014 as the two leadership indicators most strongly associated with sustained quality improvement in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the registered manager: what did the previous Requires Improvement rating identify as the main concern, and how specifically did you address it? Also ask how long each of the two registered managers has been in post u2014 leadership continuity matters enormously for the stability your parent will experience day to day."}
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 including sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They welcome both younger adults under 65 and older residents who need specialised support.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home provides round-the-clock support for residents with dementia, including those in the later stages of the illness. Staff understand the specific needs that come with conditions like Alzheimer's. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Lindisfarne Birtley has achieved a Good rating across all five domains following a previous Requires Improvement — a meaningful turnaround — but the inspection report text available contains limited specific observations, quotes, or direct evidence to score individual themes with high confidence.
Homes in North East typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
Lindisfarne Birtley in Chester-le-Street received a Good rating across all five inspection domains at its most recent assessment in March 2025, published June 2025. This is a notable improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating, which suggests the leadership team — which includes two registered managers and a nominated individual under Gainford Care Homes Limited — has made meaningful changes to how the home operates. The home supports 66 beds across a broad range of needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, making it one of the more complex homes in its area. The main limitation of this report is that the full inspection text was not available for detailed analysis, meaning the Good ratings cannot be broken down into specific observed examples, resident quotes, or family testimony. A Good rating is genuinely positive — but without knowing what the inspectors saw and heard, it is difficult to tell you how confident to be in any individual area. Before visiting, prepare specific questions: ask how many permanent staff are on overnight across the 66 beds, how often care plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute, and how the team supports residents with dementia who become distressed. On your visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas — whether they make eye contact, use names, and respond without rushing. These small moments tell you more than any rating.
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In Their Own Words
How Lindisfarne Birtley Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Specialist dementia support with round-the-clock care in Chester Le Street
Dedicated nursing home Support in Chester Le Street
Finding the right care for someone with dementia requires specialist knowledge and genuine compassion. Lindisfarne Birtley in Chester Le Street provides dedicated support for residents with dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. The home also welcomes both younger adults and those over 65 who need specialised care.
Who they care for
The team supports residents with various needs including sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They welcome both younger adults under 65 and older residents who need specialised support.
The home provides round-the-clock support for residents with dementia, including those in the later stages of the illness. Staff understand the specific needs that come with conditions like Alzheimer's.
“If you'd like to learn more about their specialist care approach, the team would be happy to discuss your family's needs.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
