Sydmar Lodge Care Home

What families say

Families talk about staff who take time to learn what makes each resident comfortable and content. There's a warmth here that comes through in how carers remember personal preferences and respond to individual needs, from favorite foods to cherished routines.

Based on 20 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement85
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness75

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-05-25 · Report published 2018-05-25 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Safe was rated Good at the April 2018 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This means inspectors were satisfied that medicines were managed safely, staffing was adequate, and safeguarding procedures were in place. The published summary does not reproduce specific observations about rota numbers, night staffing ratios, or the extent of agency staff use. The home supports 57 residents, some of whom have dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, meaning safe staffing at all hours is particularly important. The prior Requires Improvement rating means something was not right before 2018, and it is worth asking what specifically changed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, a Good Safe rating means inspectors found acceptable standards across medicines, staffing, and safeguarding at the time of inspection. However, our Good Practice evidence base highlights that safety is most likely to slip at night, when staffing levels drop and oversight is reduced. The inspection text does not tell us how many carers were on duty overnight for 57 residents, and that is a gap worth closing before you decide. The previous Requires Improvement rating is not a reason to rule out this home, but it is a reason to ask the manager directly what prompted it and what changed. Cleanliness accounts for 24.3% of positive signals in our family review data, and the inspection text offers no specific observations on infection control or hygiene; observe this yourself when you visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, March 2026) found that night staffing is the point in the 24-hour cycle where safety most commonly deteriorates in care homes, and that consistent, permanent staffing reduces the risk of errors and missed observations compared with high agency reliance.","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 were on each night shift versus agency cover, and ask what the minimum number of carers on duty overnight is for the full 57-bed home."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good at the April 2018 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans are detailed and kept up to date, whether residents have regular access to GPs and other health professionals, and whether food is nutritious, well-chosen, and adapted to individual needs. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which means inspectors would have looked at whether dementia-specific training was in place. The published summary does not reproduce specific findings about training content, care plan review frequency, family involvement in reviews, or the quality of food. The Good rating indicates an acceptable standard was found, but the detail is not available to us here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, a Good Effective rating means the inspection found that staff broadly knew what they were doing and that care was planned and monitored to an acceptable level. Food quality is mentioned positively in 20.9% of family reviews in our data, yet the inspection text gives us nothing specific to go on here. Ask to see a sample menu and, if possible, visit at a mealtime so you can see portion sizes and how dietary needs are accommodated. The Good Practice evidence shows that care plans work best as living documents, updated after any significant change in health or behaviour, and that families who contribute to reviews feel more confident about the care their parent receives. Ask how often the home reviews care plans and whether you would be invited to those conversations.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that regular, structured GP access and medication reviews, combined with care plans that are genuinely updated after health changes rather than on a fixed annual cycle, are among the strongest predictors of good health outcomes for older people living in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed, and request an example (with resident details removed) of how a plan was updated after a health change. Ask specifically what dementia training staff receive, how recently they completed it, and who delivers it."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Caring was rated Good at the April 2018 inspection. This domain covers whether staff are warm and respectful, whether residents are treated with dignity, whether privacy is maintained, and whether people are supported to be as independent as possible. The published summary does not reproduce specific inspector observations such as staff using preferred names, knocking before entering rooms, or moving at an unhurried pace. No resident or relative quotes are available in the published text. A Good rating indicates inspectors found satisfactory evidence across these areas, but the lack of specific detail means we cannot point to particular observed moments of kindness or concern.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of positive family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow at 55.2%. That makes this domain the most important one for most families choosing a home. The Good rating here is reassuring, but a rating alone cannot tell you whether your parent would be called by their preferred name, whether staff would sit down with them and make time to talk, or whether they would be encouraged to do things for themselves. These are things you can only observe in person. The Good Practice evidence is clear that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, unhurried body language, and eye contact at the resident's level, matters as much as verbal interaction for people living with dementia. Look for these signals when you visit, particularly during a quieter part of the day.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know individual histories, preferences, and communication styles, produces measurable improvements in wellbeing for people with dementia, and that this knowledge is built through consistent staffing rather than through documentation alone.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff greet your parent or other residents in a corridor or common room. Do they make eye contact, use the person's name, and stop rather than walk past? Ask a staff member what your parent's preferred name is and how they would know it on their first shift."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Outstanding at the April 2018 inspection. This is the strongest finding in the report and the clearest signal that the home goes beyond the minimum in tailoring care and daily life to the individuals who live there. An Outstanding rating in this domain requires inspectors to find specific evidence, not just general compliance, that activities are meaningful and individualised, that the home responds to changing needs promptly, and that people's histories, preferences, and routines shape their daily experience. The home supports residents with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, so tailored, accessible activity provision is particularly important. The published summary does not reproduce the specific examples that led to this rating, but the rating itself carries significant weight.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding rating for responsiveness is the most encouraging single finding you can see in a care home inspection, and it is rare: only a small minority of homes achieve it in any domain. For your parent, it suggests that at the time of inspection the home was actively working out what each person needed and wanted from their day, rather than offering a standard programme and expecting everyone to fit around it. Activities and engagement are cited positively in 21.4% of family reviews in our data, and resident happiness in 27.1%. The Good Practice evidence shows that people with dementia benefit most from activities that connect to their personal history and skills, including household tasks, familiar music, and sensory engagement, rather than generic group entertainment. Ask the home to describe what a typical week looked like for a resident with dementia who could not easily join group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that individualised activity approaches, including Montessori-based methods and the use of familiar everyday tasks, produce better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group-only activity programmes, particularly for those with moderate to advanced cognitive impairment.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual activity records for the past two weeks, not just the printed schedule. Ask specifically how the home supports a resident with advanced dementia who cannot join group sessions, and whether there is a member of staff with dedicated responsibility for one-to-one engagement."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Good at the April 2018 inspection, having previously been Requires Improvement. A named registered manager and a nominated individual are on record, indicating a clear accountability structure. The improvement across all domains before this inspection suggests the leadership team identified what needed to change and followed through. The published summary does not tell us how long the current manager has been in post, what the staff turnover rate is, whether staff feel able to raise concerns, or how the home monitors quality on an ongoing basis. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with governance and leadership at the time of inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive signals in our family review data, and the Good Practice evidence shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of whether a home's quality improves or drifts over time. The previous Requires Improvement rating and the subsequent improvement to Good is a positive story about a management team that responded to challenge, but the inspection is now more than six years old. Staff and management may have changed. Ask the current manager how long they have been in post, whether there has been significant staff turnover recently, and how they find out when something has gone wrong. A manager who can answer these questions with specific examples, not generalities, is a good sign. Communication with families is mentioned in 11.5% of our positive review data, so also ask how the home would contact you if your parent's health or behaviour changed.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where managers are stable, visible, and known to both staff and residents by name, and where staff feel safe to raise concerns without fear of blame, consistently outperform homes with high management turnover or a top-down culture.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in their current role and whether the same senior care staff have been in post throughout. Ask what they would do if a carer raised a concern about the way another staff member treated a resident. Listen for whether the answer is specific or generic."}

  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 older adults with various needs including dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. They also welcome residents of different faiths and cultural backgrounds, with particular experience supporting Jewish traditions and dietary requirements.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the staff focus on maintaining dignity and finding ways to connect through activities that still bring joy. The team shows understanding of how dementia affects each person differently. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.