Westfield Lodge Care Home

What families say

Families have noticed their relatives spending more time in communal areas rather than staying alone in their rooms. Some have seen real improvements in mood and alertness, with residents becoming more talkative and involved in daily life.

Based on 14 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-03-22 · Report published 2019-03-22 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good in February 2019. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home keeps people safe from harm. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, so the Good rating indicates that earlier safety concerns had been resolved by the time of this inspection. No specific observations, staffing ratios, or examples of safety practice are recorded in the published inspection text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety means inspectors were satisfied that the basic conditions for keeping your parent safe were in place. However, the Good Practice evidence base from IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University is clear that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, and this inspection provides no detail on overnight cover across 54 beds. Agency staff use is another known risk factor: homes that rely heavily on agency cover tend to have less consistent care because agency workers do not know the individuals they are looking after. You cannot assess either risk from the published report alone, so ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and agency staff reliance are among the strongest predictors of safety failures in care homes, yet both are frequently under-scrutinised during inspections.","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 staff covered night shifts, and ask what the minimum number of staff on duty overnight is across all 54 beds."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Effective as Good in February 2019. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, food and nutrition, and whether staff have the skills to meet the needs of the people they care for. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered dementia-specific competence. No specific examples of training content, care plan quality, or food provision are recorded in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, an Effective rating means inspectors believed staff had the knowledge and tools to care for them properly. If your parent has dementia, the critical question is what dementia-specific training staff have actually received, because a specialism label does not guarantee the depth of that training. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans should be living documents, updated regularly and shaped by your parent's own preferences and history, not just their medical needs. Food quality is consistently raised by families in our review data (referenced in 20.9% of positive reviews) as a real marker of whether a home genuinely cares: ask to see a week's menu and, if possible, taste the food yourself on a visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that dementia training focused on communication, behaviour, and individual life history produces measurably better outcomes for people living with dementia than generic care training alone.","watch_out":"Ask how often your parent's care plan would be reviewed and whether you would be invited to take part. Then ask to see an example of how a current resident's personal history and preferences are reflected in their day-to-day care."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Caring as Good in February 2019. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether the people who live in the home are treated as individuals. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the standard of caring interactions they observed. No direct quotes from residents or relatives and no specific inspector observations of staff behaviour are recorded in the published inspection text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity appear in 55.2%. These are the things families notice most and remember longest. A Good rating for Caring is a positive signal, but because the published report contains no specific examples, you cannot rely on the rating alone to tell you what interactions actually look like hour to hour. The Good Practice evidence base highlights that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people with advanced dementia: whether a carer makes eye contact, moves without rushing, and uses your parent's preferred name are all observable on a first visit. Use your visit to watch, not just listen.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that for people living with dementia, non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and physical proximity, has a greater effect on distress and wellbeing than verbal interaction alone.","watch_out":"During your visit, stand in a corridor or communal area for ten minutes without being in a formal tour. Watch whether staff stop to speak to residents at eye level, whether they use first names or preferred names, and whether anyone appears to be waiting unnoticed for help."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Responsive as Good in February 2019. This domain covers activities and engagement, how well the home responds to individual needs and preferences, and end-of-life care planning. The home serves people with dementia, physical disabilities, and adults of varying ages, which requires a broad range of responsive approaches. No specific activities, engagement examples, or end-of-life care detail are recorded in the published inspection text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness together account for a meaningful share of what families praise in positive care home reviews, with activities referenced in 21.4% of positive reviews and resident happiness or contentment in 27.1%. For your parent, particularly if they have dementia, group activities may not always be suitable or accessible. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that one-to-one engagement, drawing on individual life history, is more effective for people with advanced dementia than group programmes alone. A good Responsive rating should mean the home has thought about this, but the published report does not confirm it. Ask specifically what happens for residents who cannot join group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University review found that activity programmes based on individual life history and incorporating everyday tasks, such as folding, gardening, or familiar household routines, produce better engagement and lower distress in people with dementia than structured group activities alone.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual activity timetable from last week, not a printed programme. Then ask what happened specifically for any resident on the dementia unit who was unable to join the group sessions: who engaged with them, for how long, and doing what."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Well-led as Good in February 2019. This domain covers management visibility, governance, staff culture, and whether the home has systems to identify and act on problems. The published report names a registered manager and a nominated individual, indicating clear formal accountability. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains is a meaningful leadership indicator. No detail about management style, staff culture, or governance mechanisms is recorded in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management leadership is referenced in 23.4% of positive family reviews as a key factor, and the Good Practice evidence base is consistent: leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality over time. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good suggests the registered manager at the time of the 2019 inspection was effective at driving change. However, this inspection is now more than five years old. Staff turnover and management changes are common in the care sector, and you have no way of knowing from the published report whether the same manager is still in post or what has changed since. This is one of the most important questions to ask.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review found that homes with stable, visible leadership and a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns consistently outperform those with high management turnover, even when other resources are similar.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether they are present on site most days. Then ask how staff are encouraged to raise concerns, and what the most recent change or improvement was that came from a staff suggestion or a complaint."}

  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 adults of all ages, including those under 65 who need support. They have experience with dementia care and helping people with physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the focus on social engagement and activities can make a real difference. Staff work to keep people connected and participating in daily life. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.