Haslington Lodge Care Home – Belmont Healthcare

What families say

Families describe finding patience and responsiveness from the care team, particularly in supporting residents with dementia. There's a sense of inclusion here, with relatives welcomed to share meals and seasonal celebrations together.

Based on 12 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
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-06-07 · Report published 2022-06-07 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Safe domain as Good at the April 2022 inspection, an improvement from the previous rating period. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and safeguarding. The published report text does not include specific observations about night staffing numbers, falls management, or agency staff use for this 46-bed home. The improvement from Requires Improvement suggests the home responded to earlier safety concerns. However, without detailed findings, the specific changes made are not publicly documented.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the published findings do not tell you how many staff are on at night, which is where our Good Practice evidence base consistently identifies the greatest risk. Research from the IFF and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing is the point at which safety most often slips in residential care homes. For a 46-bed home with a dementia specialism, the night staffing question is particularly important because people with dementia can become distressed or disorientated after dark. The previous Requires Improvement rating means you should ask directly what changed and how the home monitors that the improvements are sustained.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance undermines consistency and familiarity, both of which are especially important for people living with dementia who rely on recognising the faces around them.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency names appear on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing number is overnight for the dementia unit."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering care planning, staff training, healthcare access, and nutrition. The published report text does not include specific examples of how care plans are written, how often they are reviewed, or how families are involved. No detail is available on dementia-specific training content or GP access arrangements. Food quality and dietary management are assessed within this domain but are not described in the available text. The Good rating implies inspectors were satisfied with what they found.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Care planning is where a home demonstrates it actually knows your parent as a person, not just a list of medical needs. Our Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated as needs change and reviewed with families regularly. The inspection found this domain to be Good, but without specific detail, you cannot assess from the report alone whether your parent's individual history, preferences, and communication style would be captured. Food quality is a marker families consistently raise: 20.9% of positive reviews in our data of 3,602 family responses mention food by name. Ask to see a sample menu and, if possible, visit at a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identified that regular GP access and responsive medication review are among the strongest predictors of good health outcomes for people with dementia in residential care. Ask how the home escalates health concerns between scheduled GP visits.","watch_out":"Ask to see an anonymised example of a care plan for a resident with dementia. Check whether it includes the person's life history, preferred name, communication preferences, and what calms them when distressed. Ask how often 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, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. This is the domain most directly relevant to how your parent will experience daily life. The published report text does not include specific inspector observations, such as whether staff knocked before entering rooms, used preferred names, or moved at an unhurried pace. No resident or relative quotes are available in the published summary. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the standard of care observed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews across 5,409 UK care homes. Compassion and dignity follow closely, at 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in specific moments, whether a carer takes time to sit with your mum when she is unsettled, whether your dad is helped to dress in the clothes he would choose, and whether staff speak to residents rather than about them in front of visitors. The inspection found this domain to be Good, but the absence of specific recorded observations means you will need to judge this for yourself on a visit. The way staff interact in corridors and during mealtimes, when they think no one important is watching, tells you more than any formal assessment.","evidence_base":"The IFF and Leeds Beckett evidence review emphasises that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia. Staff who crouch to eye level, make gentle physical contact, and use calm tones demonstrate person-led care in ways that are observable on a visit even if not always captured in inspection reports.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch what happens in the corridors and communal areas when staff pass a resident who is sitting alone. Do they stop, make eye contact, and say something? Do they use the resident's preferred name? This unhurried quality of passing interaction is one of the clearest indicators of a genuinely caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and how the home responds to complaints and changing needs. No specific activity programme details, examples of individual engagement, or information about end-of-life care planning are available in the published text. Whether the home offers one-to-one activities for residents who cannot participate in group sessions is not addressed. The Good rating implies inspectors were satisfied with the responsiveness of the service.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities matter more than many families realise when choosing a home. In our review data, 21.4% of positive family reviews specifically mention activities and engagement, and 27.1% reference whether residents appear content and settled. For people living with dementia, the Good Practice evidence base highlights that tailored individual activities, including everyday household tasks such as folding, sorting, or gardening, provide continuity and a sense of purpose that group activities alone cannot deliver. The inspection found this domain to be Good but provides no detail on what activities actually take place. If your parent has a specific interest, a hobby, or a routine that has always mattered to them, ask explicitly how the home would support that.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches, which focus on familiar tasks matched to a person's remaining abilities, are among the most effective activity frameworks for people with dementia. Ask whether staff have been trained in any structured approach to meaningful activity.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activities schedule for the past month, not just the planned programme. Ask what happens for a resident with advanced dementia who cannot join a group session: is there a member of staff available for one-to-one time, or are they left in their room or in front of a television?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and the home is run by Belmont Healthcare (Haslington) Ltd. The registered manager is named in the inspection record, and a nominated individual is also identified. The improvement across all domains from Requires Improvement to Good indicates the leadership team oversaw a meaningful turnaround. The published report text does not provide detail on manager tenure, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints and feedback. The presence of a stable named manager is a positive indicator.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to the Good Practice evidence base. A home that has improved from Requires Improvement to Good has demonstrated that its leadership can identify problems and act on them, which is genuinely encouraging. However, the key question for you is whether that leadership is still in place: inspection reports reflect a moment in time, and this inspection took place in April 2022. Management leadership accounts for 23.4% of the positive review themes in our data, and communication with families accounts for a further 11.5%. Ask directly how long the current manager has been in post and how the home keeps families informed when something changes.","evidence_base":"The IFF and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that empowering staff to speak up, and having a manager who is visibly present on the floor rather than office-based, are among the strongest cultural indicators of a well-led home.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at Haslington Lodge specifically, and ask what the biggest change they made after the previous inspection was. A confident, specific answer tells you this is someone who knows the home and owns its improvement. A vague answer is worth noting."}

  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 specialises in dementia care and supports adults over 65 with varying care needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff demonstrate particular patience when supporting residents with dementia, adapting their approach to individual needs. The structured activity programme helps maintain engagement and social connection. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.