Balmore Country House
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds76
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia
- Last inspected2024-01-25
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families have spoken about feeling welcomed when they visit, with staff treating them with kindness and consideration. Some have found their relatives settling into life at the home without the distress that can sometimes accompany such transitions.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth35
- Compassion & dignity35
- Cleanliness40
- Activities & engagement30
- Food quality35
- Healthcare35
- Management & leadership30
- Resident happiness30
What inspectors found
Inspected 2024-01-25
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
The domain rating for effective is recorded as not yet rated at the January 2024 inspection. No specific findings about care planning, GP access, dementia training, or food quality are available in the published text. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would expect to see evidence of dementia-specific training and care planning. Without the full inspection text, it is not possible to identify what was found in this domain.Is this home caring?
The domain rating for caring is recorded as not yet rated at the January 2024 inspection. No inspector observations about staff warmth, use of preferred names, response to distress, or privacy and dignity are available in the published text. Staff warmth is the single largest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews. The absence of any caring-domain evidence means this cannot be assessed from the inspection alone.Is the home responsive?
The domain rating for responsive is recorded as not yet rated at the January 2024 inspection. No findings about activities, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning are available in the published text. For a home specialising in dementia care with 76 beds, the quality of activities and one-to-one engagement is a significant indicator of how well the home supports individual wellbeing. This cannot be assessed from the available information.Is the home well-led?
The domain rating for well-led is recorded as not yet rated at the January 2024 inspection. The home is run by Ruddington Homes Limited, with Rebecca Jane Houghton as registered manager and Paul Hearn as nominated individual. The overall Inadequate rating, combined with the decline from a previous Good rating, raises serious questions about leadership stability and governance. A decline of this severity within a single inspection cycle is a significant concern.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
The home provides residential care for adults over 65, with experience supporting those living with dementia. For residents with dementia, the team works to maintain a calm, familiar environment. The home has experience helping people with dementia feel secure in their surroundings. All areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
This home holds an overall Inadequate rating from its most recent inspection in January 2024, a serious decline from its previous Good rating. The inspection report provided does not contain the detailed findings needed to score individual themes with confidence, so scores reflect the significant concern that an Inadequate rating carries across all areas of care.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families have spoken about feeling welcomed when they visit, with staff treating them with kindness and consideration. Some have found their relatives settling into life at the home without the distress that can sometimes accompany such transitions.
What inspectors have recorded
The team at Balmore Country House includes staff who families have described as caring and considerate in their approach. However, there have been concerns raised about consistency in care standards that the home will need to address.
How it sits against good practice
If you're considering Balmore Country House, arranging a visit will help you get a feel for whether it's the right place for your family.
Worth a visit
The home at 245-7 Loughborough Road, Nottingham was rated Inadequate at its inspection in January 2024, a serious decline from a previous rating of Good. An Inadequate rating is the lowest possible overall rating and means inspectors found significant concerns about the quality and safety of care. The individual domain ratings from this inspection are listed as not yet rated in the published data, which limits the detail available here, but the overall Inadequate rating applies across the home as a whole. The most important thing for you to know is that a decline from Good to Inadequate in a single inspection cycle is a significant warning sign. Before considering this home for your parent, you should ask to see the full published inspection report and any improvement plan the home has submitted in response. Ask the registered manager, Rebecca Jane Houghton, specifically what has changed since January 2024, what the inspectors identified as the main concerns, and what evidence exists that those concerns have been addressed. A follow-up inspection may have taken place; check the regulator's website for any updated report before making a decision.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Balmore Country House measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Balmore Country House describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Caring support in a relaxed Nottingham setting for older adults
Balmore Country House – Expert Care in Nottingham
When families need residential care for their loved ones, finding somewhere that feels genuinely welcoming matters deeply. Balmore Country House in Nottingham provides care for adults over 65, including those living with dementia. The home works to create a relaxed environment where residents can feel settled.
Who they care for
The home provides residential care for adults over 65, with experience supporting those living with dementia.
For residents with dementia, the team works to maintain a calm, familiar environment. The home has experience helping people with dementia feel secure in their surroundings.
“If you're considering Balmore Country House, arranging a visit will help you get a feel for whether it's the right place for your family.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
This home holds an overall Inadequate rating from its most recent inspection in January 2024, a serious decline from its previous Good rating. The inspection report provided does not contain the detailed findings needed to score individual themes with confidence, so scores reflect the significant concern that an Inadequate rating carries across all areas of care.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families have spoken about feeling welcomed when they visit, with staff treating them with kindness and consideration. Some have found their relatives settling into life at the home without the distress that can sometimes accompany such transitions.
What inspectors have recorded
The team at Balmore Country House includes staff who families have described as caring and considerate in their approach. However, there have been concerns raised about consistency in care standards that the home will need to address.
How it sits against good practice
If you're considering Balmore Country House, arranging a visit will help you get a feel for whether it's the right place for your family.
Worth a visit
The home at 245-7 Loughborough Road, Nottingham was rated Inadequate at its inspection in January 2024, a serious decline from a previous rating of Good. An Inadequate rating is the lowest possible overall rating and means inspectors found significant concerns about the quality and safety of care. The individual domain ratings from this inspection are listed as not yet rated in the published data, which limits the detail available here, but the overall Inadequate rating applies across the home as a whole. The most important thing for you to know is that a decline from Good to Inadequate in a single inspection cycle is a significant warning sign. Before considering this home for your parent, you should ask to see the full published inspection report and any improvement plan the home has submitted in response. Ask the registered manager, Rebecca Jane Houghton, specifically what has changed since January 2024, what the inspectors identified as the main concerns, and what evidence exists that those concerns have been addressed. A follow-up inspection may have taken place; check the regulator's website for any updated report before making a decision.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Balmore Country House measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Balmore Country House describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Caring support in a relaxed Nottingham setting for older adults
Balmore Country House – Expert Care in Nottingham
When families need residential care for their loved ones, finding somewhere that feels genuinely welcoming matters deeply. Balmore Country House in Nottingham provides care for adults over 65, including those living with dementia. The home works to create a relaxed environment where residents can feel settled.
Who they care for
The home provides residential care for adults over 65, with experience supporting those living with dementia.
For residents with dementia, the team works to maintain a calm, familiar environment. The home has experience helping people with dementia feel secure in their surroundings.
Management & ethos
The team at Balmore Country House includes staff who families have described as caring and considerate in their approach. However, there have been concerns raised about consistency in care standards that the home will need to address.
“If you're considering Balmore Country House, arranging a visit will help you get a feel for whether it's the right place for your family.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
