Bannatyne Lodge Care Home

What families say

Families describe an atmosphere where staff are naturally approachable and keep communication flowing. Several people have mentioned how residents get involved in activities they actually want to do, from apple picking to meals they genuinely look forward to. There's a sense that dignity matters here, particularly when residents need extra support.

Based on 9 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-11-16 · Report published 2022-11-16 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and the physical environment. The home improved from a previous Requires Improvement rating, suggesting earlier safety concerns were resolved. No specific detail about staffing ratios, falls management, or medicines systems is included in the published text. The home provides nursing care for up to 50 people, including those with dementia and physical disabilities.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safe is reassuring, but the detail that matters most for your parent is not available in the published findings. Good Practice research identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in care homes, and the inspection text does not record night staffing numbers for this 50-bed home. Agency staff usage is another key variable: when your parent is supported by people who do not know them, risks increase, particularly for people with dementia who may not be able to communicate their needs clearly. The improvement from Requires Improvement is meaningful, but you should verify the specifics yourself.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that agency staff reliance is consistently associated with reduced safety and continuity of care, and that learning from incidents is one of the strongest predictors of a home's ongoing safety culture.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not a template. Ask specifically how many carers and how many senior or nursing staff are on duty overnight, and what proportion of those shifts were covered by agency staff."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. This covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access, and nutrition. Dementia is a listed specialism, which means the home is expected to demonstrate dementia-specific competence. No specific examples of care plan content, GP access arrangements, or training records are described in the published text. The nursing home registration means clinical oversight should be available on site.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home that lists dementia as a specialism, the Effective domain is where you want to see the most detail, because it covers whether staff genuinely understand how dementia progresses and how care plans are kept current as your parent's needs change. Good Practice evidence from 61 studies is clear that care plans need to function as living documents, updated regularly and reflecting the person's actual preferences, not just clinical needs. The published inspection text does not confirm how often care plans are reviewed at Bannatyne Lodge or whether families are involved in those reviews. Ask to see how this works in practice.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that homes where care plans are regularly updated and co-produced with families consistently show better outcomes for people with dementia, including reduced use of antipsychotic medication and fewer hospital admissions.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed and whether you as a family member would be invited to take part. Ask to see a (anonymised) example of a care plan to judge whether it reads like a real person or a clinical checklist."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. This covers staff warmth, dignity, privacy, and respect for independence. A Good rating here means inspectors were satisfied that the standard of care interactions met the required threshold. No direct inspector observations, resident quotes, or relative testimony are included in the published text for this domain. The home supports people with dementia and physical disabilities, for whom the quality of daily interactions is particularly significant.","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 follow closely at 55.2%. What families describe in those reviews are specific moments: a carer using a parent's preferred name without being prompted, a member of staff sitting down to chat rather than rushing on to the next task, a knock on the door before entering a room. The inspection confirms a Good standard was met, but none of those moments are described in the published findings. When you visit, move through the home slowly and notice how staff interact with residents they are passing in the corridor, not just the person they are directly caring for.","evidence_base":"Good Practice evidence consistently finds that non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and physical proximity, is as important as spoken words for people with advanced dementia who may have limited verbal ability. Homes where staff slow down and move at the resident's pace show measurably lower rates of distress.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff greet your parent when you introduce them. Do they crouch down to eye level, use a name, and wait for a response? Or do they talk to you about your parent as if they are not there? This tells you more than any rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. This covers activities, individual engagement, and whether the home responds to changing needs. Dementia and physical disabilities are listed specialisms, meaning the home should offer activities that are accessible to people across a range of abilities. No specific activities, individual engagement examples, or information about how the home supports people who cannot participate in group sessions are included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our review data shows that resident happiness, which is closely linked to meaningful activity and engagement, is cited in 27.1% of positive family reviews. For people with dementia in particular, the Good Practice evidence base is clear that group activities alone are insufficient: one-to-one engagement and everyday purposeful tasks, such as folding laundry, tending plants, or looking through familiar photographs, make a significant difference to wellbeing and distress levels. The inspection does not tell you whether Bannatyne Lodge offers this kind of individual engagement, or whether activities are primarily group-based. This is one of the most important questions to ask on a visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found strong evidence that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches reduce distress and improve quality of life for people with dementia, and that homes relying solely on group activities show poorer wellbeing outcomes for people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical weekday looks like for someone with moderate dementia who cannot easily join group sessions. Ask specifically whether one-to-one time is built into the rota or whether it only happens when staff have a spare moment."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection, having previously contributed to a Requires Improvement overall rating. A named registered manager, Mrs Beverley Ann Stubbs, is confirmed in post, alongside a nominated individual, Mrs Mandy Vernon. The home is operated by Hill Care 3 Limited. The improvement across all five domains from the previous inspection suggests leadership acted on earlier concerns. No detail about manager visibility, staff culture, quality monitoring systems, or how families can raise concerns is included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice evidence identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. A registered manager who is known to staff and residents by name, who is visible on the floor rather than office-bound, and who has been in post long enough to build a consistent culture is a significant asset. The inspection confirms the right governance structure is in place at Bannatyne Lodge. What you cannot tell from the published text is how long Mrs Stubbs has been in post, how staff experience her leadership, or how families can raise concerns and expect a response. Family review data identifies communication with families as a key satisfaction factor in 11.5% of positive reviews. Ask directly how complaints are handled and how quickly families typically hear back.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear of reprisal consistently outperform peers on safety and care quality, and that manager tenure of more than two years is associated with more stable staffing and lower agency use.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long she has been in post at Bannatyne Lodge and what the biggest change she has made since joining was. Then ask a member of care staff the same question separately. Consistency between those answers is a reliable signal of a healthy leadership culture."}

  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 Bannatyne Lodge cares for adults under 65, including those with physical disabilities, alongside their support for older residents. They have experience supporting people living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the approach seems centred on maintaining connection and purpose through meaningful activities. Families have noticed how staff adapt their communication style to each person's needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.