Maple Lodge Care Home

What families say

Based on 8 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
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-01-10 · Report published 2023-01-10 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Safe domain as Good at the December 2022 inspection. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, so reaching Good in this domain represents a notable step forward. The published report does not include specific detail about night staffing ratios, agency staff usage, or falls management processes.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating gives a reasonable baseline of confidence, particularly given the improvement from Requires Improvement. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes, and agency reliance undermines the consistency that people with dementia rely on. Because the published findings do not include specific staffing numbers, you cannot rely on the rating alone here. On your visit, ask to see last week's actual rota, not a template, and count how many of those names are permanent staff versus agency, especially on night shifts.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that staffing consistency, particularly at night, is one of the strongest predictors of safety outcomes for people with dementia. Homes with high agency use tend to have higher rates of avoidable incidents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from the past two weeks. Count permanent versus agency staff names on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level on the dementia unit is after 8pm."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, nutritional support, and how well staff understand the needs of people with dementia. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have expected to see evidence of dementia-specific practice. No specific detail about training content, GP access arrangements, or how care plans are written and reviewed was published in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating suggests inspectors were satisfied that staff have the knowledge and tools to care for your parent well. For families considering this home for someone with dementia, the key question is what dementia training actually looks like in practice: classroom certificates matter less than whether staff can communicate with someone who has lost words, or recognise that agitation often signals unmet need. The Good Practice evidence base emphasises that care plans should be living documents, reviewed regularly with family input, not filed away after admission. Ask how frequently your parent's plan would be reviewed and whether you would be invited.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia training which focuses on communication techniques and recognising behavioural signals produces measurably better outcomes than general care training. Ask whether the home's training programme covers these specific skills.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to describe the dementia training that care staff complete, specifically what it covers beyond basic awareness, and ask when your parent's care plan would next be reviewed and whether you can attend."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good. This domain is where inspectors assess whether staff are kind, whether residents are treated with dignity, whether people are addressed by their preferred names, and whether privacy is respected. A Good rating here means inspectors did not observe practice that fell below acceptable standards. No specific observations, staff interactions, or quotes from residents or relatives were published in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity features in 55.2%. These are not soft measures: they are the things families return to time and again when describing why they trust a home. The Good Caring rating is reassuring, but a rating cannot tell you whether the person who will wash your parent's hair knows her preferred name or takes the time to chat. Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia. Observe how staff move through the home on your visit: are they hurried, are they making eye contact with residents, do they knock before entering rooms?","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care, which requires staff to know individual histories, preferences, and communication styles, produces better wellbeing outcomes than task-led care, even when staffing ratios are similar.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas when they are not being observed. Notice whether they slow down, make eye contact, and use the resident's name. This tells you more than any planned demonstration."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good. This domain covers activities, how the home meets individual needs, complaints handling, and end-of-life care planning. The home cares for people with dementia as well as those with mental health conditions, so a responsive service here means tailoring support to a range of complex needs. No specific detail about the activities programme, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning was published in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness together feature in nearly 48% of what drives positive family reviews in our data. A Good Responsive rating is a positive sign, but the detail matters enormously, particularly for someone with dementia who may not be able to join group activities. Good Practice research consistently shows that one-to-one activities, including everyday tasks like folding, gardening, or reminiscence with a known object, produce better wellbeing outcomes than group sessions for people with moderate to advanced dementia. Ask specifically what happens for your parent on a day when they do not want to come to the lounge.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review found that Montessori-based and task-oriented individual activities reduce agitation and improve mood in people with dementia more effectively than passive group entertainment. Ask whether the home's activity staff are trained in individual engagement techniques.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you last week's actual activity schedule and tell you how many residents on the dementia unit received any one-to-one time that week, however brief."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and the inspection identifies a named Registered Manager and a Nominated Individual, both of which are positive structural markers. The home improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains, which suggests leadership took the previous findings seriously and made changes. No detail was published about how long the current manager has been in post, how staff are supported to raise concerns, or what governance processes are in place.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes, according to Good Practice research. Communication with families features in 11.5% of positive reviews in our data, and families consistently say they want a manager they can reach easily and who follows up when something goes wrong. The improvement from Requires Improvement is genuinely encouraging: it is harder than it sounds to turn around all five domains in a single inspection cycle, and it usually requires a manager who understands the detail of what needs to change. Ask how long the current manager has been in post and what happened to bring about the improvement.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that leadership stability, specifically a consistent registered manager who is visible to both staff and families, is one of the most reliable predictors of quality trajectory in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, what were the main changes made after the previous inspection, and how would I contact you if I had a concern about my parent's care?"}

  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 at Maple Lodge supports residents across different age groups, including adults under 65 who may need specialist care. They work with people living with dementia and those experiencing mental health conditions.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the home aims to provide appropriate support within their residential setting. Families will want to discuss specific care approaches and daily routines during their visit. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.