Stainton Lodge Care Centre

What families say

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth68
• Compassion & dignity68
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality58
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness65

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-26 · Report published 2023-05-26 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good, an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement. This indicates that inspectors were satisfied that the home was managing safety, staffing, medicines, and infection control to an acceptable standard at the time of the April 2023 visit. The specific issues that drove the earlier Requires Improvement rating are not described in the published summary, so it is not possible to confirm exactly what changed. No concerns about safety were flagged in the post-inspection review conducted in July 2023.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Safe rating of Good means inspectors found no current safety concerns u2014 that is reassuring as a baseline. However, our family review data shows that families particularly value staff attentiveness and consistent, familiar faces, especially at night when dementia-related anxiety often peaks. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that night staffing ratios are where safety most often slips in nursing homes, and that reliance on agency staff undermines the consistency your parent needs. Because the report doesn't detail staffing numbers or agency use, this is an area you need to ask about directly on your visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) identifies night staffing levels as a primary safety risk in dementia care settings, with incidents disproportionately occurring between 10pm and 6am when staffing is thinnest.","watch_out":"Ask the home: how many permanent, named staff are on the dementia unit overnight, and what is your current reliance on agency staff to fill shifts?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. This is an improvement from the previous rating and suggests the home's systems for knowing and meeting your parent's needs met inspection standards. However, the published report provides no specific examples of how care plans are written or reviewed, what dementia training staff have completed, or how GP and specialist access is arranged. The July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence requiring a reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Families in our review data consistently highlight two things under this theme: that staff actually know their parent as an individual u2014 their preferences, history, and routines u2014 and that healthcare problems are caught early. Good Practice evidence emphasises that care plans should be living documents updated with family input, not static paperwork. A Good rating here means the home met the inspection standard, but the depth of personalisation u2014 whether staff know your dad takes his tea without sugar, or that your mum was a keen gardener u2014 is something only a visit will reveal. Ask to see a care plan in draft and check whether it reflects the person, not just the diagnosis.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans functioning as genuine person-centred documents u2014 regularly reviewed, co-produced with families, and known to all staff including night staff u2014 are one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes in dementia care.","watch_out":"Ask to see how a care plan is structured and ask specifically: when was it last reviewed, who was involved in that review, and how do night staff access it?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, which covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how staff support independence. This is an improvement from the previous rating. No specific observations, resident quotes, or relative testimonials are included in the published report summary, so it is not possible to describe the texture of day-to-day care interactions from this report alone. Inspectors were satisfied the standard met the Good threshold in April 2023.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important factor in our family review data, accounting for 57.3% of what families say makes a difference to their peace of mind. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. Good Practice research underlines that for people living with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, a calm touch, an unhurried approach u2014 matters as much as what is said. A Good rating in this domain is encouraging, but the real test is what you see when you visit unannounced or drop in at an ordinary time. Does staff use your mum's preferred name? Do they knock before entering? Is the corridor pace calm or rushed?","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review highlights that person-centred care in dementia requires staff to know the individual's life history, communication preferences, and emotional triggers u2014 not just their clinical needs. Homes where this knowledge is embedded in everyday practice show measurably lower rates of distress behaviours.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch how staff greet your parent during a corridor interaction u2014 do they use their name, make eye contact, and take time, or is it transactional and hurried?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Good, covering activities, engagement, individuality, and end-of-life care. This represents improvement from the previous rating. No specific activity programmes, examples of individual engagement, or end-of-life care arrangements are described in the published report text. The July 2023 review did not identify any concerns in this area.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness accounts for 27.1% of what families highlight in our review data, and activities and engagement contribute 21.4%. The Good Practice evidence base is particularly strong here: it shows that group activities alone are insufficient for people with advanced dementia, and that tailored one-to-one engagement u2014 including everyday domestic tasks like folding, sorting, or tending plants u2014 produces better outcomes than formal activity schedules. A Good rating tells you the home's approach passed inspection; it doesn't tell you whether your dad will have something meaningful to do on a Tuesday afternoon or whether your mum will be supported to sit in the garden.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett review found that Montessori-based and everyday-task approaches to activity u2014 where individuals engage with familiar, purposeful tasks rather than passive group entertainment u2014 significantly reduce agitation and increase wellbeing in people with moderate to severe dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity timetable for the past two weeks and ask specifically: what happens for residents who can't or won't join group activities u2014 who engages with them one-to-one, and how often?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Good, an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This domain covers management visibility, staff culture, governance, and the home's ability to learn and improve. The fact that the home moved from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains is itself evidence of functioning leadership. However, the published report does not name specific governance improvements, describe the manager's tenure, or detail how staff are supported to raise concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that 23.4% of what families value relates directly to management u2014 whether someone capable and visible is in charge. Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory: homes where the manager has been in post for more than two years, and where staff feel safe to speak up, consistently outperform those where leadership is in flux. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is a meaningful signal, but you should find out how long the current manager has been in post and whether that improvement reflects embedded change or a recent inspection preparation effort.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review identifies manager tenure and psychological safety for staff u2014 the ability to raise concerns without fear u2014 as the two most reliable indicators of whether a home's quality rating will be sustained or will deteriorate at the next inspection.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, and what was the main change you made that led to the improvement from Requires Improvement to Good?"}

  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 home offers specialist dementia care alongside support for mental health conditions. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents, with different units providing focused care approaches.. Gaps or open questions remain on Stainton Lodge has experience supporting people through different stages of dementia, including advanced progression. The home operates specialist units designed for residents with dementia care needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.