High Lodge Care Services Ltd

What families say

Based on 3 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-03-17 · Report published 2018-03-17 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the February 2018 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, safeguarding, and infection control. A desktop review in July 2023 found no new information requiring the rating to be changed. However, no specific observations, incident data, or staffing numbers from the inspection are available in the published summary. The home has 29 beds and cares for people with dementia, making safe staffing particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is a positive baseline, but with an inspection now more than seven years old, you cannot assume the detail behind that rating reflects today's home. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in smaller residential homes u2014 and for a 29-bed home caring for people with dementia, the question of how many permanent, trained staff are present overnight matters enormously. The July 2023 desk review is reassuring in that no concerns were flagged, but a desk review cannot observe whether call bells are being answered promptly, whether medicines are being given safely, or whether falls are being recorded and investigated. Our family review data shows that safety and staff attentiveness account for a combined 25.8% of what families value most u2014 visit at different times of day, including early evening, to form your own view.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that agency staff reliance is one of the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes u2014 continuity of staffing, not just adequate numbers, is what protects people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'How many permanent staff u2014 not agency u2014 are on duty in the dementia unit after 8pm on a weekday?' Then ask to see the falls register for the past three months."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the February 2018 inspection, covering care planning, staff training, healthcare access, and nutrition. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which implies that dementia-specific training and care approaches were considered during the inspection. No specific details about care plan content, GP access frequency, dementia training programmes, or food quality are available in the published summary. The same Good rating was carried forward through the July 2023 desk review without challenge.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home that lists dementia as a specialism, the quality of care planning is everything. Good Practice evidence shows that care plans should function as living documents u2014 updated after every significant change in your parent's condition, not just annually u2014 and that families who are actively involved in reviews report significantly higher satisfaction. The fact that the home holds a Good Effective rating is encouraging, but you need to probe what this means in practice today. Dementia training quality varies enormously between homes: ask specifically whether staff are trained in non-verbal communication and positive behavioural support, not just manual handling and medication. Food quality u2014 how mealtime experience is managed for someone with dementia who may have difficulty eating u2014 is one of the most telling indicators of genuine care. Our family review data shows food quality is weighted at 20.9% of overall family satisfaction.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) found that dementia-specific training in non-verbal communication and person-centred approaches u2014 as distinct from generic care training u2014 was among the strongest predictors of positive outcomes for people with dementia in residential settings.","watch_out":"Ask: 'Can I see an example of how a care plan is structured for someone with dementia? How recently was it updated, and was the family present for the review?' Then ask to observe a mealtime."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the February 2018 inspection. This domain specifically assesses whether staff treat people with kindness, dignity, and respect, and whether individuals' privacy and independence are upheld. Dementia care requires particular attention to non-verbal communication and reading individual cues. No direct observations of staff-resident interactions, no resident or family quotes, and no specific examples of how dignity or independence are maintained are available from the published report summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth and compassion are, by some margin, the things families care about most when choosing a care home u2014 our review data across 3,602 family reviews shows these two themes are weighted at 57.3% and 55.2% respectively. A Good Caring rating tells you the inspection found something positive, but it cannot tell you whether staff know your dad's preferred name, whether they take time to sit with him when he's anxious, or whether they speak to him even when he can't respond. Good Practice research shows that in dementia care specifically, non-verbal warmth u2014 eye contact, unhurried touch, tone of voice u2014 matters as much as any clinical intervention. The only reliable way to assess this for yourself is to visit unannounced, observe corridor interactions, and watch whether staff walk past people without acknowledging them.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) found that person-led care u2014 where staff have detailed biographical knowledge of the individual and use it in daily interactions u2014 was strongly associated with reduced distress episodes and improved quality of life for people with dementia.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch what happens when a staff member passes a resident in a corridor or communal room u2014 do they stop, make eye contact, use the person's name? Ask staff what your parent's preferred name is and what they most enjoy."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the February 2018 inspection. This covers whether the home tailors care to individual needs, provides meaningful activities, responds to complaints, and plans for end-of-life care. For a home specialising in dementia, responsiveness includes how well the home meets the needs of people who may have limited verbal communication or who cannot join in group activities. No specific detail about activity programmes, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning is available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of family satisfaction in our review data, but the quality gap between homes that tick the 'activities' box and those that genuinely engage people with dementia is enormous. Good Practice evidence highlights that group activities alone are insufficient for people with more advanced dementia u2014 one-to-one engagement, including familiar household tasks and sensory activities, is what maintains wellbeing. A 29-bed home with a Good Responsive rating may well be doing this thoughtfully, but you need to see it. Ask specifically about what happens on a Tuesday afternoon for a resident who can't join group sessions. Equally important is end-of-life planning: if your parent's condition deteriorates, will the home be able to care for them in place, or will they face a move?","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) found that Montessori-based and individual engagement approaches u2014 including familiar domestic tasks, sensory activities, and life history work u2014 significantly reduced agitation and improved quality of life in people with moderate to advanced dementia compared to group activity programmes alone.","watch_out":"Ask: 'What does a typical Tuesday look like for a resident with advanced dementia who can't participate in group activities? Who engages with them one-to-one, and what does that look like?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the February 2018 inspection, and the July 2023 desk review found no evidence requiring a change. The home is run by High Lodge Care Services Limited with a named Registered Manager and a Nominated Individual in post. Good leadership typically involves visible management, a culture where staff can raise concerns, and systems for learning from incidents and complaints. No specific information about management tenure, staff turnover, culture, or governance processes is available from the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time u2014 Good Practice research shows that homes with consistent, visible management sustain their standards far better than those with high management turnover. The fact that named individuals are registered with the regulator is a positive sign of accountability, but with an inspection from 2018 and a desk review as the most recent formal oversight, you are essentially being asked to take the current leadership team's quality on trust. Our family review data shows management and communication with families accounts for a combined 34.9% of satisfaction weighting. When you visit, ask how long the current manager has been in post, how they communicate changes in your parent's care to families, and whether you can speak to them directly u2014 not just a deputy u2014 during the visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) found that leadership cultures that empowered frontline staff to raise concerns u2014 rather than escalating everything upward u2014 were significantly associated with better safety outcomes and more consistent person-centred care.","watch_out":"Ask to meet the registered manager in person during your visit. Ask them directly: 'How long have you been here, what has changed in the last two years, and how would you tell me if something went wrong with my parent's care?'"}

  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 High Lodge has experience caring for residents with sensory impairments and physical disabilities. They also provide specialist dementia support alongside general care for adults over 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home offers specialist support tailored to individual needs. The team understands the importance of maintaining routines and creating a secure, familiar environment. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.