SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?53%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 8 below good
SafeguardingSignificant shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Learning cultureSome shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSome shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Safe environmentsGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?54%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown5 of 6 below good
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
Consent to care and treatmentSome shortfalls
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentSome shortfalls
Monitoring and improving outcomesSome shortfalls
Supporting people to live healthier livesSome shortfalls
How staff, teams and services work togetherGood
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?70%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 5 below good
Kindness, compassion and dignitySome shortfalls
Independence, choice and controlGood
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?61%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown4 of 7 below good
Equity in accessSome shortfalls
Equity in experiences and outcomesSome shortfalls
Listening to and involving peopleSome shortfalls
Person-centred careSome shortfalls
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?36%Inadequate
See the breakdownHide the breakdown7 of 7 below good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSignificant shortfalls
Governance, management and sustainabilitySignificant shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSignificant shortfalls
Shared direction and cultureSignificant shortfalls
Freedom to speak upSome shortfalls
Partnerships and communitiesSome shortfalls
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionSome shortfalls
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 10 good, 23 below good. 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. ?
Elm Lodge Nursing and Residential Home is in the Requires improvement tier ?, with 14 other homes in Central Bedfordshire.
72% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
Elm Lodge Nursing and Residential Home is one of 64 care homes in Central Bedfordshire: a 64-bed nursing home in Leighton Buzzard, run by Cambridge Nursing Home Ltd. It is registered to care for older people, people with dementia, younger adults and people with a physical disability. That is larger than most homes in Central Bedfordshire, where the typical home has 24 beds.
Across Central Bedfordshire, 72% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England. The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from January 2026. 90% of homes in Central Bedfordshire also score 5. 1 of Cambridge Nursing Home Ltd’s 2 rated homes are Good or Outstanding (compare care home groups). The nearest home with a higher rating is The Knolls Care Centre (Good), 2.0 km away.
CQC's latest rating, from April 2026, is Requires improvement overall. It was Requires improvement for safe, effective and responsive as well. Caring was rated Good. CQC rated well-led as Inadequate. It was also rated Requires improvement at the inspection before, in July 2023. Ratings in Central Bedfordshire are typically about 4 years old, which makes this one newer than most. 23 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “safeguarding”.
