
The staff and facilities are some of the best I’ve seen in a care homeRoger S(Friend of Resident/Service User)

There is only one word to describe Fern Brook Lodge... OutstandingA B(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The carers who look after Mums are always cheerful, friendly and patientA H(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The staff and facilities are some of the best I’ve seen in a care homeRoger S(Friend of Resident/Service User)

There is only one word to describe Fern Brook Lodge... OutstandingA B(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The carers who look after Mums are always cheerful, friendly and patientA H(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

Fern Brook Lodge in Gillingham, Dorset is a friendly, warm and welcoming residential home, where residents living with dementia are treated with dignity and respect. Individuals enjoy a safe, caring environment with all the home comforts and 24-hour specialist care from professionally trained staff.
Staff at Fern Brook Lodge pride themselves on providing the best possible care alongside relevant health and social care professionals tailored for individuals and their families.
Residents...
Care Provided by Fern Brook Lodge
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 75 Service Users
Dementia Care TypesMild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
Mild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
- Mild Dementia
- Moderate Dementia
- Advanced/Complex Dementia
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Smoking not permitted
- Near Public Transport
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Television point in own room
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact Fern Brook Lodge for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Fern Brook Lodge to confirm what's included and get a personalised quote:
Funding Types Accepted
- Self-Funding (Private)
- Local Authority with Top-up
- Local Authority
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- Care South
- Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned
Person in charge
- Sara Maynard (Home Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Mixed with both male-only and female-only unit(s)
- Ages 65+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
Room Information
- Single Rooms (75)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (75)
Fern Brook Lodge Reviews (77)
Fern Brook Lodge has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.753) out of 10, based on 32 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Fern Brook Lodge has 77 reviews.
We chose FBL because of the friendliness of the staff and their team spirit. Not only are the carers brilliant - unfailingly cheerful and kind and willing to go the extra mile to ensure that residents are calm and comfortable, but the support staff are amazing too, from the cleaners and laundry staff who keep up high standards of cleanliness to the catering staff who make sure my mother's breakfast is individually cooked to her liking and her food is presented in appetizing ways, and the activities staff who are always looking for creative ways of making residents lives brighter. FBL is an exceptionally well-run home, and we are grateful to you all. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words. It means a great deal to our whole team to know their efforts are making a difference. We're truly grateful for your support and are proud to care for your mother.
Super friendly, clean, staff are amazing. Always kind and helpful. Mum's room is always spotless. Very happy environment.
Thank you for your review we are so pleased you always find the staff kind and helpful, we will share your review with the team.
A warm friendly loving home. From day one our our whole family, not just mum have been made to feel very welcome at Fern Brook Lodge. In fact through this kindness to us we have manged to extend this to a new resident and families over the months. Mum has been a resident for almost year and a half and as her condition progresses she requires a lot of patience and energy from care staff. And due to the whole teams dedication and loving support mum is happy, relaxed and doing really well. Keep up the great work we are grateful to you all. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind and heartfelt words. We're truly grateful for your support, and it's been a privilege to care for your mum. We'll be sure to share your thanks with the whole team.
Overall very good. The staff are very helpful and are very respectful. The care and consideration is excellent, if there is any queries they are dealt with when able. The biggest problem is having to wait, but understand others need attention. The activities are very good and great fun. Very pleased with my room and can do crafts and rest if needed. Very happy here and made friends.
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. We're so pleased to hear you're happy, enjoying the activities, and have made friends.
First class. Feels like home from home.
Thank you for your review. We are so pleased to read your review and that the home feels like home. We will share this with the team.
All of the staff are patient, kind, and caring and always ensure that residents' needs are put first. We are impressed with the Events Team, which keeps the residents engaged with all of the various activities. We have noticed that mum loves the attention and has lots of fun with the staff, which makes her happy. Fern Brook Lodge is a lovely care home, and we would like to thank all of the staff for everything that they do for the residents.
Thank you for your review. We are so pleased your impressed with the events and activities at the home. We will share your review with the team.
Excellent Christmas Fete. The activity team work so hard with very limited funds. So many festive activities are planned. The new chef appears to be providing good food. The staff are dedicated and have the right amount of respect and love.
Thank you for your review. We are so pleased you enjoyed the Christmas Fete and are enjoying the home cooked food at Fern Brook.
My brother has been a resident of Fern Brook Lodge for the past 6 months. He is being cared for well, the food is good. The staff are always friendly, courteous and helpful whenever we visit. Personal hygiene is good.
Thank you for such a positive review, I am so glad to read your comments, which of course I will be sharing with the team.
It was very hard to accept the fact that the time had come to look for a care home for a much loved family member, who now needed more care and support than we were able to provide. Fern Brook Lodge came highly recommended to us by a friend who's father was a contented resident, because of this we were keen to include it in our choices. It was very clear from our first visit what a kind and caring home Fern Brook is, this wasn't always evident at other establishments and made a difficult choice so much easier. 4 months into his new home, we have a very happy, contented resident, who's life has been made so much easier. We are always met by smiling friendly staff who genuinely care and look to enrich the residents life.
Thank you so much for this lovely 5 star review. We are all so pleased to hear how your feeling about the care at Fern Brook.
Excellent trip to Poole, my mother really enjoyed her day out, and the trip and the trip was exceptionally well planned.
Thank you for your review - we are so pleased your mother enjoyed the trip to Poole.
A first-class care home with excellent, kind and helpful staff which I would certainly recommend.
Thank you for your review and lovely words. We will share this with the team.
I was very nervous about placing my mother in a care home. The home has been fantastic in settling my mother. She has been in Fern Brook for 4 weeks and has been better with each week. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Seems to be understaffed. The activities staff are very good and friendly. The manager has been very helpful with the process of making the placement.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and for rating the overall experience at Fern Brook Lodge as 5 stars! I understand our Home Manager has been in touch with you to discuss your review and we hope to see you again. All the best.
This is the third month my father has been living at Fern Brook. From the first day my sisters, my father's brother and I visited Fern Brook Lodge we knew he would be well cared for. All the staff are absolutely wonderful. The food is fantastic and there is always something for my father to eat who is a meat and veg man!
Thank you for your wonderful 5* review of Fern Brook Lodge, I am so pleased that your father has settled into life so well. Wishing you and your family all the best.
The staff of Fern Brook are very dedicated, caring, friendly and respectful. They care for each client with dignity and respect, and no task is ever too much trouble. The meals are lovely and nutritious. Activities are always taking place and encouragement for the clients to join in as much as possible.
Thank you for your wonderful five star review, the team at Fern Brook Lodge will be absolutely thrilled. I will be sure to pass on your kind feedback to the team.
Everyone does all they can to make life as pleasant as possible and are caring, thoughtful and kind.
Thank you so much for your wonderful five-star review of Fern Brook Lodge; the team will be so pleased to read your wonderful comments. Wishing you all the best.
Everyone has made her welcome, showing her extraordinary care and understanding. She enjoys the wonderful activities, and the room is just perfect for her. We can't wait to be able to sit in the garden in the spring when visiting.
Thank you for your wonderful review of Fern Brook Lodge; I am so pleased that Mum is enjoying life with us. Wishing you both all the best.
I have been coming to the memory cafe every Thursday for a few months. The staff are extremely welcoming and spend quality time with my father who has dementia. It is a wonderful service to help get people out of the home and surroundings. It has made my father feel more comfortable in the environment so may be able to settle for respite care in the future.
Thank you so much for leaving a review, feedback like this is so important to the team. I am delighted that your Father is enjoying his regular visits. All the very best.
She settled quickly and has been cared for with such affection and gentleness that she continues to thrive despite her dementia. With an activities coordinator now in place there have been numerous opportunities for Mum to enjoy her lifetime love of music, thanks so much to one member of staff in particular for all her hard work in organising so many lovely events, especially over Christmas.
Any minor issues have been dealt with immediately by the equally caring leadership team. I cannot recommend Fern Brook Lodge highly enough and would like to thank everyone there for all their continued efforts with Mum.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review, your wonderful comments are much appreciated. I will of course pass your review onto the team at Fern Brook Lodge. All the best.
The care given by the staff is first class, all the residents are always treated with genuine love and affection. I witnessed this, particularly at the concert. The carers were so attentive throughout. The residents tend to get restless and the care and guidance given was exemplary.
Thank you team.
Thank you for leaving a review - the team at Fern Brook Lodge will be thrilled. It is wonderful to read how well mum is enjoying life with us. Thank you again.
My mother came in for an initial period of respite care during the summer and then moved in permanently in October. I am very happy with how well she has settled and how her health, both mental and physical, has improved since moving into an environment where she receives exemplary care, a daily structure and lots of stimulation from an excellent programme of activities. The staff (with perhaps one minor exception) are all kind, friendly, caring and seem to really enjoy their work. I visit 3-4 times a week, often with our dog (who is also made very welcome!) and we always receive a friendly reception and help with any queries or concerns. Mum really enjoys the food and often tells me how kind everyone is. I am so relieved to have found such a lovely home in Gillingham and it's a great comfort to know that my mum is so well cared for at a time of great difficulty for her family.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, it's wonderful to see how highly you rate the service the team provides at Fern Brook Lodge. Wishing you all the best.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 04 March 2020Good
- CaringGood
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveGood
- SafeGood
- Well-ledGood
Inspection ratings
We rate most services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels:
- Outstanding - The service is performing exceptionally well.
- Good - The service is performing well and meeting our expectations.
- Requires Improvement - The service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.
- Inadequate - The service is performing badly and we've taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.
- Not rated - we have not yet rated this area of the service, this is normally because the assessments we have carried out have been focused on other key questions.
Bed Vacancies
Please contact us for latest vacancies.
News (48) & Events (0)
- 02 Jun 2026
Dorset care home residents delighted in a memorable musical afternoon created especially for them by the BSO, Care South and JPMorganChase. Hosted at JPMorganChase’s Bournemouth campus, the midweek event included...
- 27 May 2026
Communities across the south of England gathered at Care South’s care homes to share experiences and raise awareness during Dementia Action Week. Karen Hodges, Group Dementia Lead for Care South,...
- 16 Apr 2026
Fern Brook Lodge residents embraced the spirit of spring with a colourful lavender-themed crafting session. Residents at the care home on Fern Brook Lane in Gillingham were pleased to welcome...
There are no upcoming events for Fern Brook Lodge.
Awards / Recognitions (6)
- 30 Jan 2026Recipient: Care South
- 31 Jan 2025Recipient: Care South
- 31 Jan 2024Recipient: Care South
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for Fern Brook Lodge.
Meet the Team (1)

“As Manager at Fern Brook Lodge, I believe that our residents must be at the heart of all that we do. By nurturing and developing our team, we can then provide the best possible care, focusing all that we do around the individual's wishes and needs.”
Sara (pronounced Sarah) grew up in North Devon. She completed her nurse training in Cambridge in the 1980s and moved back to North Devon in the 90’s. She is now living locally to Gillingham. She worked in the NHS, mainly specialising in respiratory work and has always been passionate about enabling and giving people a voice.
She has been a care home manager for fourteen years, which has encompassed nursing, residential and dementia homes. Care South are delighted to have secured her talents for leading the team at Fern Brook Lodge and maintaining the levels of excellence this care home provides.
Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact Fern Brook Lodge to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Fern Brook Lodge has an Enhanced Service -more info.