SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 8 good
Infection prevention and controlGood
Involving people to manage risksGood
Learning cultureGood
Medicines optimisationGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
Safe environmentsGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
SafeguardingGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 6 good
Assessing needsGood
Consent to care and treatmentGood
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentGood
How staff, teams and services work togetherGood
Monitoring and improving outcomesGood
Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 5 good
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?89%★Outstanding
See the breakdownHide the breakdown4 of 7 exceptional
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Providing InformationGood
Equity in accessExceptional
Listening to and involving peopleExceptional
Person-centred careExceptional
Planning for the futureExceptional
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 7 good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersGood
Freedom to speak upGood
Governance, management and sustainabilityGood
Learning, improvement and innovationGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Shared direction and cultureGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 29 good, 4 exceptional. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?
CQC hasn't inspected this home for more than 5 years. It re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating doesn't count against a home on this site, but it may not reflect the home today. ?
Dale Lodge is one of 485 care homes in Kent: a 20-bed residential care home in Southfleet, run by Nicholas James Care Homes Ltd. Its CQC registration covers older people and people with dementia.
Food hygiene inspectors scored the kitchen 5 out of 5 in January 2026. 90% of homes in Kent also score 5. In Kent, 79% of rated care homes are Good or Outstanding (England 82%). Of the 5 closest rated homes, none is rated above it. Nicholas James Care Homes Ltd runs 6 care homes, and all 6 rated are Good or Outstanding.
CQC last rated the home in March 2024, giving it Good overall. It was Good for safe, effective, caring and well-led as well. For responsive, the rating was Outstanding. That matches its previous rating, from April 2019. Ratings in Kent are typically about 4 years old, which makes this one newer than most. None of its 33 scored standards was below good, and 4 were exceptional.
