Fountains Lodge Care Home – Bupa
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds76
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2019-07-16
- Activities programmeThe home's approach to meals seems to make a real difference, with families noticing improved appetite and nutrition in their relatives. The outdoor spaces give residents fresh air and a change of scene. Entertainment programmes bring variety to the weeks, with activities planned so people at different stages can enjoy what works for them.
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families talk about residents gaining weight, rediscovering their appetite, and joining in with activities they can manage. The gardens provide peaceful moments outdoors, while entertainment and social events are thoughtfully adapted so everyone can take part in their own way. Several families mention how their relatives have settled in and seem content.
Based on 24 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness70
- Activities & engagement65
- Food quality65
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership72
- Resident happiness70
What inspectors found
Inspected 2019-07-16 · Report published 2019-07-16 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"Fountains Lodge was rated Good for safety at its June 2019 inspection. The home is registered as a nursing home, meaning qualified nursing cover is required at all times. No specific detail on medicines management, falls records, infection control, or staffing ratios was included in the published findings. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, and achieving Good in the Safe domain represents a genuine improvement.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating means inspectors were satisfied that the home was meeting the required standards at the time of the inspection. For families, the most important safety questions that this report cannot answer are about night staffing and agency use. Good Practice research consistently shows that safety risks are highest overnight, when staffing ratios tend to fall, and that homes relying heavily on agency staff have less consistent care. Given the inspection is now over five years old, it is essential to ask these questions directly rather than assume the 2019 picture still applies.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and the consistency of care workers are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in care homes, particularly for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from last week, not a template. Find out how many permanent carers and nurses were on duty overnight across the 76 beds, and ask what percentage of shifts in the last month were covered by agency staff."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"Fountains Lodge was rated Good for effectiveness at its June 2019 inspection. The home is registered to provide nursing care and to support people living with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, suggesting a broad clinical remit. No specific detail on care plan quality, GP access, dementia training, or food and nutrition was published in the available report text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a care home context is about whether staff actually know your parent as an individual and whether their health needs are actively managed. Good Practice research identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed regularly and shaped by the person themselves and their family. The published findings do not tell us whether this happens at Fountains Lodge. Food quality is also a reliable signal of genuine care: homes that get food right tend to get other things right too. Observe a mealtime and ask to see a sample care plan on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base found that dementia-specific training that goes beyond basic awareness, including communication techniques and understanding behaviour as expression, is linked to measurably better outcomes for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what specific dementia training all care staff have completed, when they last did it, and whether it covered non-verbal communication and responding to behaviour that may indicate unmet need."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"Fountains Lodge was rated Good for caring at its June 2019 inspection. No direct quotes from residents or relatives were included in the available published text, and no specific inspector observations about staff interactions, use of preferred names, or responses to distress were recorded. The Good rating indicates that inspectors were satisfied with the culture of care at the time.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in the DementiaCareChoices review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are qualities that are very hard to assess from a published report that contains no direct observations. What inspectors typically look for in this domain includes whether staff knock before entering rooms, use preferred names, sit at eye level when speaking, and respond without rushing. You will need to observe these things yourself on a visit, ideally at a time that has not been pre-arranged as a formal tour.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people living with dementia. Staff who adapt their pace, tone, and body language to the individual produce measurably better wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff greet your parent and other residents in corridors and communal areas. Are they using names? Are they making eye contact? Are they moving without hurry, or does the pace feel pressured?"}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"Fountains Lodge was rated Good for responsiveness at its June 2019 inspection. The home is registered across a broad range of needs including dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, suggesting it aims to tailor care to individuals. No specific detail on activity programmes, individual engagement, end-of-life care, or how the home responds to complaints was included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Responsiveness is about whether the home treats your parent as an individual, not just as one of 76 residents. Activities engagement is cited in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness, a closely related measure, appears in 27.1%. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not enough for people with advanced dementia: one-to-one engagement based on the person's life history produces significantly better outcomes. The inspection gives no detail on this. Ask specifically what your parent's day would look like, not in general terms but hour by hour.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base found that Montessori-based approaches and familiar everyday household tasks, when matched to the individual's history and remaining abilities, reduce agitation and improve wellbeing in people living with dementia more effectively than standard group activities.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident with moderate dementia who cannot easily join group sessions. If the answer is vague or defaults to television, probe further."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"Fountains Lodge was rated Good for leadership at its June 2019 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. Mrs Louise Suzanne Eastwood is the named registered manager, and Mr Donald Day is the nominated individual for the provider, Bupa Care Homes (ANS) Limited. No specific detail on management visibility, staff culture, governance processes, or how the home handles complaints was included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality trajectory. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in this domain is encouraging and suggests meaningful progress was made. However, the inspection took place in 2019, which means you do not know whether the same manager is still in post, whether staffing has been stable, or how the home performed during the years since. Management (23.4%) and communication with families (11.5%) are both themes that appear consistently in positive family reviews. Ask the current manager how long they have been in post and what has changed in the last 12 months.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research found that leadership stability, specifically manager tenure of more than two years combined with a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, is one of the most reliable predictors of sustained improvement in care home quality.","watch_out":"Ask the current registered manager how long they have been in post and whether they were in place at the time of the 2019 inspection. Ask also how they find out when something goes wrong overnight, and what changed as a result of the last significant incident."}
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 younger adults under 65 as well as older residents, supporting people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments alongside those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the consistency of familiar faces seems particularly important. Families describe how staff remember their relatives' preferences and quirks, maintaining those small dignities that matter when so much else is changing. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Fountains Lodge Care Home achieved a Good rating across all five inspection domains, improving from a previous Requires Improvement rating. However, the published report contains very limited specific detail, so scores reflect confirmed Good ratings rather than rich observational evidence.
Homes in South East typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families talk about residents gaining weight, rediscovering their appetite, and joining in with activities they can manage. The gardens provide peaceful moments outdoors, while entertainment and social events are thoughtfully adapted so everyone can take part in their own way. Several families mention how their relatives have settled in and seem content.
What inspectors have recorded
What stands out in family feedback is how staff keep in touch — calling with updates, staying accessible during visits, and helping families feel connected even when they can't be there. The warmth extends beyond care staff too, with reception, housekeeping and kitchen teams all contributing to the atmosphere. Some concerns have been raised about staffing levels, though most families describe attentive, respectful care.
How it sits against good practice
If you're weighing up care options in Tunbridge Wells, visiting Fountains Lodge could help you get a feel for whether their approach to building genuine relationships might suit your family.
Worth a visit
Fountains Lodge Care Home, on London Road in Tunbridge Wells, was rated Good at its most recent inspection in June 2019, with Good awarded in every domain: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. Importantly, this represents an improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating, which is a meaningful step in the right direction. The home is a 76-bed nursing home run by Bupa Care Homes, with a named registered manager in post. The main limitation of this report is that the published inspection text contains very little specific observational detail, meaning it is not possible to tell you exactly what inspectors saw, heard from residents, or found in records. The Good rating is real and worth noting, but the inspection is now more than five years old, which is a significant gap. Before deciding, visit in person, ask to see recent staffing rotas, speak to the manager about dementia training and night staffing levels, and if possible, talk to families who have relatives living there now.
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In Their Own Words
How Fountains Lodge Care Home – Bupa describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where dignity and genuine relationships shape each day
Compassionate Care in Tunbridge Wells at Fountains Lodge Care Home
For families navigating dementia or physical disability care, Fountains Lodge Care Home in Tunbridge Wells offers something families consistently value: staff who genuinely know their residents. This established home supports people with sensory impairments, physical disabilities and dementia, with many families describing how their relatives have formed real connections with carers over months and years.
Who they care for
The home cares for younger adults under 65 as well as older residents, supporting people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments alongside those living with dementia.
For residents with dementia, the consistency of familiar faces seems particularly important. Families describe how staff remember their relatives' preferences and quirks, maintaining those small dignities that matter when so much else is changing.
Management & ethos
What stands out in family feedback is how staff keep in touch — calling with updates, staying accessible during visits, and helping families feel connected even when they can't be there. The warmth extends beyond care staff too, with reception, housekeeping and kitchen teams all contributing to the atmosphere. Some concerns have been raised about staffing levels, though most families describe attentive, respectful care.
The home & environment
The home's approach to meals seems to make a real difference, with families noticing improved appetite and nutrition in their relatives. The outdoor spaces give residents fresh air and a change of scene. Entertainment programmes bring variety to the weeks, with activities planned so people at different stages can enjoy what works for them.
“If you're weighing up care options in Tunbridge Wells, visiting Fountains Lodge could help you get a feel for whether their approach to building genuine relationships might suit your family.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
