Enter and view: Windmill Lodge Care Home

Healthwatch Lancashire undertook an Enter and View visit to Windmill Lodge Care Home on 24 June 2026. The visit found that the home provided a modern, well-maintained and welcoming environment, with extensive grounds, a range of communal facilities including a cinema and bar, and positive interactions between staff and residents. Residents who were able to provide feedback were generally positive about the care they received, describing the home as calm and pleasant, and praising both staff and food.

The report highlighted several areas of good practice, including dementia-friendly features, opportunities for residents to access outdoor spaces, flexible meal choices and the use of technology to help residents access information about daily menus. Relatives were also generally positive about the service, describing staff as caring, friendly and welcoming. However, some residents and relatives reported that advertised activities did not always take place, and relatives felt there could be greater variety in activities and more staff involvement in them. 

Staff feedback identified concerns about staffing levels, particularly during mealtimes, with some staff feeling this affected their ability to provide person-centred care and support residents promptly. Healthwatch also noted that the home's layout could be confusing because different areas looked very similar, and suggested additional dementia-friendly signage and clearer wayfinding to help residents, visitors and new staff navigate the building more easily. 

Healthwatch Lancashire recommended improving dementia-friendly signage and navigation, reviewing staffing arrangements at mealtimes, strengthening communication about activities, consulting residents and relatives about environmental improvements and preferred activities, improving communication with relatives through measures such as reintroducing the "Resident of the Day" programme, and taking steps to improve staff morale. The provider accepted all recommendations and outlined action plans to address them.