Clifton Lodge

What families say

Families consistently notice how happy their loved ones seem here. The atmosphere strikes visitors as notably different from other local homes — there's a genuine warmth that comes through in how staff interact with residents. People describe feeling reassured from their first visit, with the caring approach evident throughout the home.

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
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality68
• Healthcare74
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-03-13 · Report published 2019-03-13 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated this domain Good at the October 2024 assessment. The home is a 35-bed nursing home registered to care for people with dementia and mental health conditions, which means safe practice around medicines, risk management, and responsive staffing is especially important. No specific concerns were raised in the published summary. A named registered manager and nominated individual are confirmed as in post. No detail about night staffing ratios, falls management, or agency staff use is included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating means inspectors were satisfied with the safety systems in place on the day they visited. However, Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in nursing homes. The published report gives no information about how many staff are on duty overnight in a 35-bed unit caring for people with dementia, and that is a gap worth closing before you make a decision. Our family review data shows that 14% of positive reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as a reason for confidence, which suggests families notice and remember whether staff are present and responsive.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance undermines care consistency, particularly for people with dementia who depend on familiar faces for orientation and reassurance. Ask the home directly what proportion of shifts are covered by permanent staff.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the planned template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency or bank workers, and ask specifically how many staff are on duty overnight for the 35 beds."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated this domain Good at the October 2024 assessment. The Good Effective rating covers training, care planning, nutrition, and healthcare access. The home lists dementia as a specialism and is run by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, a mental health NHS trust, which suggests some clinical infrastructure. No specific detail about dementia training content, care plan review processes, food quality, or GP access arrangements is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating is a positive sign that inspectors found the basics of training and care planning to be in order. For a home specialising in dementia, the quality of care plans matters enormously. Good Practice evidence shows that care plans work best when they are treated as living documents, updated regularly with family input, and reflecting the person's history, preferences, and communication style. The inspection does not tell us how often plans are reviewed or whether families are invited to contribute. Food quality, which features in 20.9% of our positive family reviews, is also not specifically described here, so ask to see the menu and taste the food yourself on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that meaningful dementia care requires staff who understand the individual's life history and can adapt their approach accordingly. Generic dementia training is not sufficient on its own; care plans and handover culture matter as much as formal qualifications.","watch_out":"Ask to see your parent's draft care plan, or a sample plan with names removed. Check whether it includes personal history, preferred name, food preferences, and communication cues, and ask when it was last updated and whether a family member attended the review."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated this domain Good at the October 2024 assessment. The Good Caring rating covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, privacy, and promoting independence. No specific observations about staff interactions, preferred name use, unhurried pace, or response to distress are included in the published summary. No direct quotes from residents or relatives recorded during the inspection are available in the published 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 feature in 55.2%. A Good Caring rating is encouraging, but it cannot substitute for what you observe yourself when you visit unannounced or at a quieter time of day. Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with dementia. Watch how staff move through the home: do they make eye contact, use a calm tone, and stop what they are doing when a resident approaches? These are the signals that tell you more than any rating.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that person-led care depends on staff knowing the individual well enough to interpret non-verbal cues and adjust their approach without prompting. This kind of knowing takes time and consistency, which is why low staff turnover is a meaningful quality indicator.","watch_out":"On your visit, listen for staff using residents' preferred names in corridor interactions and watch whether staff pause and make eye contact when a resident approaches them, or continue walking. Ask what name your parent would prefer to be called and check whether staff actually use it."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated this domain Good at the October 2024 assessment. The Good Responsive rating covers activities, engagement, individuality, and end-of-life care. The home is registered for both dementia and mental health conditions, making tailored individual engagement particularly important. No specific detail about the activities programme, one-to-one engagement, or end-of-life planning is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Responsive rating suggests inspectors were satisfied that the home was attending to individuals' needs and preferences. Activities and engagement feature in 21.4% of our positive family reviews, and resident happiness is mentioned in 27.1%. Good Practice evidence is clear that for people with advanced dementia, group activities are often not enough: one-to-one engagement, including familiar household tasks, music, or sensory activities, is what maintains wellbeing. The published report does not tell us whether this home offers that level of individual attention, so you will need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identified Montessori-based and everyday-task approaches as having strong evidence for maintaining engagement and self-esteem in people with moderate to advanced dementia. Homes that only offer group activities may not meet the needs of someone who cannot follow a structured session.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical day looks like for a resident who cannot join group sessions. Ask for a specific example from the past week. If the answer is vague, that tells you something important."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated this domain Good at the October 2024 assessment. A named registered manager, Mrs Philippa Jane Crocket, and a nominated individual, Mr Paul Scott, are confirmed in post. The home is operated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, which provides NHS governance infrastructure. No specific detail about management visibility, staff culture, incident learning, or family communication systems is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management leadership accounts for 23.4% of positive family reviews, and our data also shows that communication with families is mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews. A Good Well-led rating with a stable named manager is a meaningful positive signal: Good Practice research shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in a care home. However, the inspection was published in February 2025 for an assessment in October 2024. Check whether the named manager is still in post, as leadership changes since the inspection would be important context. Ask how the home would contact you if your parent had a fall or a difficult night.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel empowered to speak up about concerns tend to have better safety records and higher quality care. Ask the manager how staff raise concerns and what has changed as a result in the past six months.","watch_out":"Confirm with the home that Mrs Philippa Jane Crocket is still the registered manager. Then ask her directly: what is the one thing that has changed in the home since the October 2024 inspection, and how did that change come about? The answer will tell you a great deal about accountability 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 home cares for adults both under and over 65, including those living with dementia and mental health conditions. This breadth of experience means they're equipped to support residents with varying and changing needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the combination of attentive staff and a clean, well-maintained environment provides important stability. The team's compassionate approach helps create the calm, supportive atmosphere that makes such a difference. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.