Cedar Lodge Care Home

What families say

Some families report feeling welcomed by friendly staff during visits. There's mention of staff being approachable when relatives come to see their loved ones, with refreshments offered to visitors.

Based on 8 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement85
• Food quality60
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness75

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-10-17 · Report published 2019-10-17 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This means inspectors were satisfied that risks to residents were identified and managed, that medicines were handled safely, and that staffing numbers were sufficient. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, so this Good rating represents a genuine step forward. The published summary does not include specific detail on night staffing ratios, agency use, or falls management processes.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is reassuring, but it does not tell you everything Sarah needs to know. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights that safety most often slips on night shifts and when agency staff cover unfamiliar residents. The published findings do not give you the night staffing ratio for 57 residents, and that is something you should ask about directly. A home that relies heavily on agency staff to cover nights may have a Good rating on paper but inconsistent care in practice. Good Practice research also shows that how a home logs and learns from falls and incidents is a stronger predictor of ongoing safety than the rating alone.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of safety incidents in care homes, because unfamiliar staff cannot read early warning signs in people they do not know well.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, and ask specifically how many carers and seniors are on duty overnight for the full 57 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. Cedar Lodge is registered to support people with dementia and mental health conditions, so inspectors would have checked whether staff had the relevant training and whether care plans reflected individual health needs. The published summary does not include specific detail on dementia training content, GP access arrangements, or food quality.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you the basics are in place: staff have training, care plans exist, and health needs are being tracked. But the detail matters enormously if your parent has dementia. Good Practice research from the Leeds Beckett review found that dementia training quality varies widely, and that the most effective homes go beyond awareness sessions to give staff practical skills in non-verbal communication and behaviour that challenges. Ask specifically what dementia training the permanent staff have completed and when it was last updated. Food quality is not covered in the published findings, and it matters more than many families expect: 20.9% of positive family reviews in our data mention food by name as a driver of satisfaction.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans which are regularly reviewed with family input and which record personal history, preferences, and communication style are consistently associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see an example care plan (anonymised is fine) and check whether it records your parent's life history, preferred name, daily routine, and communication preferences, not just medical history. Ask when care plans are formally reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether residents have a say in their own care. A Good rating means inspectors observed or recorded evidence of kind, respectful interactions. The published summary does not include direct quotes from residents or relatives, and no specific observations of staff behaviour are described.","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 come close behind at 55.2%. A Good Caring rating is a positive signal, but the absence of specific quotes or observations in this report means you cannot know from the text alone whether staff use your parent's preferred name, move at an unhurried pace, or respond sensitively when someone becomes distressed. These are things you can and should observe yourself on a visit. Arrive unannounced if the home permits it, and watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas, not just in a formal meeting with the manager.","evidence_base":"Good Practice evidence from the Leeds Beckett review highlights that non-verbal communication, including pace, touch, and eye contact, is as important as words for people living with dementia, and that homes where staff are seen to slow down and make eye contact consistently report higher resident wellbeing scores.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch whether staff greet residents by name when passing in a corridor, and notice whether anyone is left sitting without acknowledgement for a prolonged period. Ask the manager what name your parent would be called by, and how that preference would be recorded and shared with every shift."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Outstanding at the July 2019 inspection. This is the home's strongest result and the one most directly relevant to daily quality of life. An Outstanding rating means inspectors found specific, evidenced examples of the home tailoring activities, care, and daily routines to individual residents rather than following a standard programme. The home supports people with dementia and mental health conditions, so this rating will have included an assessment of how well individual needs and preferences are met for people who may not be able to speak for themselves.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding Responsive rating is rare: only a small minority of care homes in England achieve it. Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness for 27.1%. What this rating tells you is that inspectors found real evidence, not just policy documents, that the home works to give each person a meaningful daily life. For a parent with dementia, this matters enormously: Good Practice research consistently shows that tailored one-to-one engagement reduces distress and improves wellbeing far more than group activities alone. The key question now is whether this Outstanding practice has been maintained in the five years since the inspection.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and life-history approaches to activity, where tasks are chosen to match each person's abilities and past interests, produce measurable improvements in engagement and reductions in distress for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what they would do for a resident who cannot join group sessions because of advanced dementia or anxiety. If the answer is vague, or if there is no dedicated activities staff member on duty every day, probe further. Ask to see the activity records for a typical resident over the past month."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection, up from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This tells you that inspectors found a functioning governance structure, a manager who was known to staff and residents, and systems for monitoring and improving quality. Cedar Lodge is run by N. Notaro Homes Limited, with a nominated individual named in the registration. The published summary does not include detail on manager tenure, staff turnover, or how concerns from families are handled.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good leadership is what sustains quality over time, and the improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is a positive sign. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of whether a home maintains or improves its rating. Management and communication with families together account for around 35% of the signals families cite in positive reviews. However, this inspection is from 2019 and the nominated individual named in the registration may or may not still be in post. Management changes can shift a home's culture quickly, in either direction. Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether there have been any significant leadership changes in the past two years.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear, and where managers are visibly present on the floor rather than office-based, consistently perform better across all quality domains over time.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at Cedar Lodge specifically, not just in care. Then ask how a family would raise a concern about their parent's care, and what would happen next. Listen for whether the answer is specific and process-led, or vague and reassuring-sounding."}

  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 cares for adults both over and under 65, with particular experience in dementia and mental health conditions. This dual specialism means they work with younger people facing early-onset conditions as well as traditional elderly care needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on Cedar Lodge supports people at different stages of dementia, including end-of-life care. Some families have been confident enough in the dementia support to choose the home for multiple relatives. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.