St Nicholas Care Home
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 beds176
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia, Learning disabilities, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2023-10-19
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth20
- Compassion & dignity20
- Cleanliness20
- Activities & engagement20
- Food quality20
- Healthcare20
- Management & leadership20
- Resident happiness20
What inspectors found
Inspected 2023-10-19
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
No domain-level findings for the Effective domain are available from the October 2023 Inadequate inspection in the data provided. The July 2024 assessment is noted as rating this domain Good, but the supporting evidence has not been included in this report. Without the full July 2024 findings, it is not possible to confirm whether care plans are detailed and person-centred, whether dementia-specific training is current, or whether food quality and dietary management meet the needs of this complex resident group. This is a home caring for people with dementia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities simultaneously, which places significant demands on staff training and care planning.Is this home caring?
No specific observations about staff warmth, dignity, or compassion are available from the October 2023 inspection data provided. The July 2024 assessment is noted as rating the Caring domain Good, but no supporting quotes or observations from inspectors, residents, or relatives have been included in the data provided for this report. An Inadequate overall rating at the prior inspection is a serious concern in any domain, and caring quality cannot be assumed to be unaffected. At a home of 176 beds with a highly complex resident group, individual staff interactions are the single most important factor in daily quality of life.Is the home responsive?
No specific findings about activities, engagement, individuality, or end-of-life planning are available from the October 2023 inspection data provided. The July 2024 assessment is noted as rating the Responsive domain Good, but no detail underpinning that rating has been included here. For a home of this size and complexity, responsive care requires individualised activity planning for people who cannot participate in groups, clear documentation of personal preferences, and robust end-of-life planning processes. None of these can be confirmed or denied from the available data.Is the home well-led?
St Nicholas Care Home is registered with Randomlight Limited as the provider, with a named registered manager and a nominated individual recorded. The home moved from Requires Improvement to Inadequate at its October 2023 inspection, a declining trajectory that signals governance and leadership failures serious enough for the inspector to escalate the rating. The July 2024 assessment is noted as rating Well-led as Good, but without the full report it is not possible to confirm what changed, how leadership was strengthened, or whether the improvements are embedded. Leadership stability in a 176-bed complex needs home is a significant factor in whether improvements last.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
The team at St Nicholas has experience supporting people with dementia, sensory impairments, and learning disabilities. They also care for residents with mental health conditions and physical disabilities. For those living with dementia, the home provides specialist care tailored to individual needs. Staff have training in dementia support approaches. 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
The inspection data provided covers only the October 2023 assessment, which resulted in an Inadequate overall rating with no domain-level scores recorded. Because the published inspection report text contains no specific findings, observations, quotes, or evidence across any of the eight family themes, all theme scores are set at 20, reflecting the serious concern of an Inadequate rating combined with a complete absence of verifiable positive evidence.
Homes in North West typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
St Nicholas Care Home, at 21 St Nicholas Drive, Bootle, received an overall rating of Inadequate at its October 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. This is the most serious rating the official inspection process issues, and it means inspectors found significant concerns serious enough to require urgent action by the provider, Randomlight Limited. No domain-level ratings (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led) were recorded for this inspection, which means the published data does not allow a theme-by-theme assessment of what was found. A more recent assessment was completed in July 2024, with a report published in April 2025, which appears to have resulted in Good ratings across all domains, but the full findings of that report were not included in the data provided for this analysis. Before drawing any conclusions, Sarah, you should obtain and read the full July 2024 inspection report directly from the official source. If that report genuinely confirms Good across all five domains, the picture may have changed considerably since October 2023. However, a home moving from Requires Improvement to Inadequate and then back to Good within roughly nine months is an unusual trajectory that warrants careful scrutiny. On any visit, ask the manager to walk you through exactly what changed, what was wrong, and how they know the improvements have held. Ask to see evidence of the changes, not just a verbal account.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how St Nicholas Care Home measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How St Nicholas Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Care home supporting people with complex needs in Bootle
Nursing home in Bootle: True Peace of Mind
St Nicholas Care Home in Bootle provides support for older adults with a range of needs. The home accepts residents with sensory impairments, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions. Located in the North West, the home cares for people over 65 who may also have physical disabilities.
Who they care for
The team at St Nicholas has experience supporting people with dementia, sensory impairments, and learning disabilities. They also care for residents with mental health conditions and physical disabilities.
For those living with dementia, the home provides specialist care tailored to individual needs. Staff have training in dementia support approaches.
“To learn more about the care provided at St Nicholas, families are encouraged to arrange a visit.”
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
The inspection data provided covers only the October 2023 assessment, which resulted in an Inadequate overall rating with no domain-level scores recorded. Because the published inspection report text contains no specific findings, observations, quotes, or evidence across any of the eight family themes, all theme scores are set at 20, reflecting the serious concern of an Inadequate rating combined with a complete absence of verifiable positive evidence.
Homes in North West typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
St Nicholas Care Home, at 21 St Nicholas Drive, Bootle, received an overall rating of Inadequate at its October 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. This is the most serious rating the official inspection process issues, and it means inspectors found significant concerns serious enough to require urgent action by the provider, Randomlight Limited. No domain-level ratings (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led) were recorded for this inspection, which means the published data does not allow a theme-by-theme assessment of what was found. A more recent assessment was completed in July 2024, with a report published in April 2025, which appears to have resulted in Good ratings across all domains, but the full findings of that report were not included in the data provided for this analysis. Before drawing any conclusions, Sarah, you should obtain and read the full July 2024 inspection report directly from the official source. If that report genuinely confirms Good across all five domains, the picture may have changed considerably since October 2023. However, a home moving from Requires Improvement to Inadequate and then back to Good within roughly nine months is an unusual trajectory that warrants careful scrutiny. On any visit, ask the manager to walk you through exactly what changed, what was wrong, and how they know the improvements have held. Ask to see evidence of the changes, not just a verbal account.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how St Nicholas Care Home measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How St Nicholas Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Care home supporting people with complex needs in Bootle
Nursing home in Bootle: True Peace of Mind
St Nicholas Care Home in Bootle provides support for older adults with a range of needs. The home accepts residents with sensory impairments, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions. Located in the North West, the home cares for people over 65 who may also have physical disabilities.
Who they care for
The team at St Nicholas has experience supporting people with dementia, sensory impairments, and learning disabilities. They also care for residents with mental health conditions and physical disabilities.
For those living with dementia, the home provides specialist care tailored to individual needs. Staff have training in dementia support approaches.
“To learn more about the care provided at St Nicholas, families are encouraged to arrange a visit.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
