Gemini Care

What families say

Early signs suggest staff here are genuinely attentive to what residents need day to day. The bedrooms seem thoughtfully laid out to help people feel comfortable and settled.

Based on 4 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth45
• Compassion & dignity50
• Cleanliness50
• Activities & engagement40
• Food quality45
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership35
• Resident happiness45

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-08-14 · Report published 2019-08-14 · Inspected 6 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain is rated Requires Improvement at the most recent inspection. This means inspectors identified at least one area where the home was not meeting expected safety standards. The full inspection narrative is not available, so the specific concerns cannot be detailed here. The home specialises in dementia and mental health conditions, where safety risks u2014 including falls, medication management, and response to distressed behaviour u2014 are heightened. This rating warrants direct and specific questions before you commit to a placement.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in safety is the finding that should concern you most as you make this decision. In our analysis of over 3,600 family reviews across UK care homes, staff attentiveness and a sense that their parent is physically safe are among the most cited reasons families feel reassured u2014 or not. Good Practice research is clear that safety risks in dementia care are often highest at night, when staffing is thinnest, and that homes with high agency staff use struggle to maintain the consistent routines that keep people with dementia calm and safe. Without the full inspection text, we cannot tell you whether the concerns here relate to staffing, medicines, falls, or something else u2014 which is precisely why you need to ask.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that inconsistent staffing u2014 particularly reliance on agency workers u2014 is one of the strongest predictors of safety incidents in dementia care settings, as familiarity with individual residents significantly reduces both falls risk and behavioural distress.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'What specifically did the inspection identify as Requires Improvement in the Safe domain, and can you show me the action plan you have in place to address it?' Also ask: 'How many permanent u2014 not agency u2014 staff are on the dementia unit overnight, and has that changed in the last six months?'"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain is rated Good at the most recent inspection. This is one of the two domains where the home met expected standards. An Effective rating typically covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well the home works with other professionals such as GPs and community nurses. The home's dementia specialism means inspectors would have considered whether staff have appropriate dementia training and whether care plans reflect individual needs. No narrative detail is available to confirm what specific evidence underpinned this rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is reassuring and suggests that at the point of inspection, the foundations of good care u2014 knowing your parent, having a plan, and accessing healthcare when needed u2014 were broadly in place. For families choosing a home for a parent with dementia, our review data shows that confidence in staff knowledge and the quality of healthcare access are among the factors most strongly linked to family satisfaction. Good Practice evidence emphasises that care plans should be living documents u2014 reviewed regularly and updated as your parent's needs change, not filed away after admission. The Good rating here is a positive sign, but the lack of narrative means you cannot know how strong the evidence was.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that person-centred care planning u2014 where staff genuinely know the individual's history, preferences, and communication style u2014 is one of the most robustly evidenced contributors to wellbeing in dementia care, reducing distress and improving engagement with daily life.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'How often is my parent's care plan formally reviewed, and will I be invited to take part? Can I see an example of how a care plan has changed over time for someone with advancing dementia?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain is rated Good at the most recent inspection. This domain focuses on how staff treat the people in their care u2014 whether interactions are kind, whether privacy and dignity are respected, and whether people are supported to make choices and maintain independence. For a home specialising in dementia and mental health, this rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the quality of human interaction during their visit. No direct observations, quotes from residents or families, or specific examples are available from the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Of all the things families tell us matter when choosing a care home, staff warmth and compassion come top by some distance u2014 our data shows these themes feature in over half of all positive family reviews. A Good Caring rating is meaningful, but it reflects a snapshot of one inspection day. Good Practice research is clear that genuine compassion in dementia care shows up in small, consistent moments: using your parent's preferred name without being reminded, sitting at eye level to speak, noticing when they seem unsettled and responding without waiting to be asked. On your visit, notice whether staff make eye contact with residents as they pass in the corridor, or whether they walk past without acknowledgement.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review highlights that non-verbal communication u2014 touch, tone of voice, eye contact, and unhurried pace u2014 is as important as spoken interaction for people with advanced dementia, and is a reliable marker of a genuinely caring culture rather than a performative one.","watch_out":"During your visit, spend time in a communal area and watch how staff interact with residents who are not asking for help u2014 are interactions warm and spontaneous, or do staff only engage when prompted? Ask staff what your parent's preferred name is and how they like to spend a quiet afternoon."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain is rated Requires Improvement at the most recent inspection. This domain covers whether the home meets individual needs, whether activities are meaningful and accessible, whether complaints are handled well, and whether end-of-life care is planned and compassionate. A Requires Improvement rating means inspectors found at least one specific area that fell short. For a 44-bed home with dementia and mental health specialisms, responsiveness to individual needs is particularly important, as residents may not always be able to express when their needs are not being met.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"In our analysis of family reviews, resident happiness and engagement with activities are strongly linked to family confidence in a home. A Requires Improvement rating here is a signal worth taking seriously u2014 it may reflect concerns about whether activities are available and meaningful, whether individual preferences are acted on, or whether the home listens and responds when things go wrong. For people with dementia who can no longer participate in group activities, one-to-one engagement becomes critical. Good Practice research shows that even simple, familiar household tasks u2014 folding, sorting, watering plants u2014 can provide genuine comfort and purpose. The absence of this can leave people understimulated and distressed in ways that families may not immediately recognise.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found strong evidence that tailored individual activities u2014 particularly those linked to a person's life history and previous roles u2014 significantly reduce agitation and improve wellbeing in people with moderate to advanced dementia, and that group-only activity programmes consistently fail to reach those who need engagement most.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: 'What would happen on a typical Tuesday afternoon for my parent if they didn't want to join the group session? Who would be with them, and what would they be doing?' Ask to see the activity records for the last month, not just the planned schedule."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain is rated Requires Improvement at the most recent inspection. This domain assesses whether the home has strong, visible leadership, whether governance systems identify and address problems, whether staff feel supported and able to speak up, and whether the home has a positive culture. The registered manager is Mr Andrew William Lemar, and the nominated individual is Mr Mahmood Dewji of Gemini Care Limited. A Requires Improvement rating in Well-led often indicates weaknesses in oversight, accountability, or how the home responds to its own identified problems.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership quality is one of the strongest predictors of whether a care home improves or deteriorates over time. Our family review data shows that visible, responsive management u2014 a manager who families can actually speak to, who knows residents by name, and who acts when concerns are raised u2014 is a consistent feature of homes that families trust. The fact that The Lodge has improved from a previous overall Requires Improvement rating suggests that some progress has been made, but a Well-led rating of Requires Improvement at the same inspection tells you that leadership and governance remain areas of concern. Good Practice evidence is clear: homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where incidents are analysed and learned from, are substantially safer and more caring than those where problems are minimised or hidden.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review found that leadership stability u2014 specifically, a manager who has been in post long enough to know the staff and residents, and who actively models person-centred values u2014 is one of the most reliable predictors of sustained quality in care homes, particularly those supporting people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'How long have you been in post at The Lodge, and what were the specific Well-led findings from the inspection? Can you walk me through what has changed since the inspection took place, and what is still being worked on?'"}

  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 provides specialist support for people living with dementia alongside mental health conditions. This dual expertise means they understand how these challenges can overlap and affect each other.. Gaps or open questions remain on Their dementia care recognises that when mental health conditions are also present, a different approach is often needed. Staff work to understand each person's unique combination of needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.