Umika Lodge Care Home

What families say

Visitors describe genuine warmth from the team here, with staff across different departments taking time to chat and engage. One family found the atmosphere reassuring enough that their relative was happy to return after a successful respite stay.

Based on 6 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth75
• Compassion & dignity75
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality60
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-07-15 · Report published 2022-07-15 · Inspected 6 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the October 2024 assessment. This is a positive finding for a 29-bed home that supports people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. The published summary does not include specific observations about medicines management, falls prevention, infection control, or staffing ratios on individual shifts. No concerns about safety were flagged in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety will reassure you that inspectors did not find immediate risks to the people living here. However, the absence of specific detail in the published summary means you cannot yet be confident about the specifics that matter most for dementia care, such as night staffing numbers, how falls are logged and learned from, and how much the home relies on agency staff. Good Practice research consistently identifies the night shift as the point where safety is most at risk in smaller homes, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency that people with dementia depend on. Cleanliness, which 24.3% of families highlight in positive reviews, is also not specifically addressed in this report, so you will need to assess that yourself on a visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and consistency of permanent staff are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes for people with dementia in residential care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from last week, not a template. Count permanent staff versus agency names, and specifically ask how many carers are on duty after 10pm for the 29 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2024 assessment. This is the only domain not yet meeting the standard inspectors expect. The Effective domain covers care planning, assessment, training, health monitoring, GP access, nutrition, and hydration. The published summary does not explain specifically what was found to be below standard. This is the area that most warrants direct questions to the manager before you make a decision.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Effective is the most significant concern for families considering this home for a parent with dementia. The Effective domain is where inspectors check whether staff know enough about your parent as an individual, whether care plans are up to date and actually used, and whether healthcare needs are picked up and acted on quickly. Our family review data shows that healthcare responsiveness (weighted at 20.2%) and dementia-specific care (12.7%) are both in the top concerns families raise. Good Practice research identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated after any significant change in health or behaviour. A home rated Requires Improvement in this domain may not yet be meeting that standard consistently.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans which are regularly reviewed and genuinely reflect individual histories, preferences, and health needs are one of the most reliable markers of good dementia care quality.","watch_out":"Ask the manager specifically what the Requires Improvement finding in Effective covered, what has been changed since the inspection, and when the next internal audit of care plans is scheduled. Ask to see an anonymised example of a care plan to judge its level of detail yourself."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the October 2024 assessment. This domain covers how staff treat the people who live here, including whether dignity is respected, whether residents feel comfortable and cared for, and whether independence is supported where possible. No specific inspector observations, resident quotes, or relative comments are included in the published summary for this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity together account for 55.2% of what families describe when they say a home is good. A Good rating for Caring suggests inspectors were satisfied with how staff relate to residents, but without specific observations in the published report you cannot yet know whether this reflects genuine warmth or simply the absence of obvious problems. When you visit, watch how staff move through communal areas, whether they make eye contact, whether they use your parent's preferred name, and whether interactions feel unhurried. These are the observable signals that families consistently identify as meaningful.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research emphasises that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication, including tone of voice, physical proximity, and unhurried pace, matters as much as spoken words and is a reliable indicator of whether person-centred care is genuinely embedded.","watch_out":"During your visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes without staff knowing you are specifically observing. Notice whether staff make spontaneous, warm contact with residents who are not asking for help, or whether interactions are task-focused only."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the October 2024 assessment. This domain covers whether the home responds to individual needs, whether activities are meaningful and varied, and whether complaints are handled well. The home lists dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments as specialisms, which means it should have specific approaches for each group. No detail about the activity programme, individual engagement, or complaints handling is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement are cited by 21.4% of families in our positive review data, and resident happiness is referenced in 27.1% of reviews. A Good rating for Responsive is encouraging, but the published report does not tell you whether the activity programme is genuinely varied or whether individual engagement is available for your parent if they cannot participate in group activities. Good Practice research identifies tailored one-to-one activities, including familiar household tasks and Montessori-based approaches, as particularly important for people with moderate to advanced dementia. Ask specifically what the home does for residents who cannot join group sessions.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that individual, tailored activities, rather than group programmes alone, produce significantly better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia, particularly those at more advanced stages.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what happened yesterday for a resident who stays in their room. If the answer is vague or refers only to group sessions, that is a signal that one-to-one engagement may not be reliably in place."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the October 2024 assessment. A registered manager, Mrs Kelly Louise Santa Cruz, is named and confirmed in post, as is a nominated individual, Mrs Reoutee Devi Warner. This means the home has a clear accountability structure in place. The previous overall rating was Inadequate, and the home has now moved to Requires Improvement overall, which suggests leadership has driven genuine improvement. No specific detail about the management culture, staff feedback mechanisms, or governance processes is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in care homes, according to Good Practice research. The fact that this home has moved from Inadequate to a largely Good profile, with an identified registered manager in post, is a positive sign. Our family review data shows that management visibility and communication with families are cited in 23.4% and 11.5% of positive reviews respectively. The outstanding question is how long the current manager has been in post and what specifically drove the previous Inadequate rating. Understanding that history will help you judge whether the improvement is embedded or still fragile.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that leadership stability and a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear are among the most reliable predictors of sustained care quality improvement in residential settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long she has been in post, what the previous Inadequate rating specifically related to, and what has changed since. A confident, specific answer is reassuring. A vague or deflecting answer warrants further caution."}

  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 caters to residents with physical disabilities, sensory impairments and complex health conditions. They accept both younger adults under 65 and older residents, offering respite stays alongside permanent placements.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home provides specialist support as part of their wider complex needs service. The mix of age groups means they're experienced with different stages and presentations of the condition. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.