England

Rated:Requires ImprovementNursing

Buckingham Lodge Care Home

Buckingham Close, Carbrooke, Thetford, IP25 6WL

01953773114

Care Type

Nursing Care

Inspection date

13 October 2022

Provider

Kingsley Buckingham Lodge Limited

Beds

73 beds

How this home compares nearby

Of 5 care homes for older people within 5 miles, 4 are rated higher by CQC, 1 is the same and none are lower.

2 of these nearby homes have been inspected more recently than this one.

Based on CQC ratings, updated 22 October 2026. How we compare homes | See the nearby homes

Rating history

GoodApr 2015
Requires ImprovementApr 2017
Requires ImprovementFeb 2018
Requires ImprovementFeb 2019
Requires ImprovementApr 2020
Requires ImprovementJan 2023

Rating dropped from Good to Requires Improvement in 2017.

Source: CQC inspection reports. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Costs and who runs this home

Run by Kingsley Buckingham Lodge Limited, which runs 3 care homes in England: 1 rated Requires Improvement, 1 Inadequate and 1 not yet rated.

Average care home fees in the East of England: £1,034 a week for residential care and £1,411 for nursing care (2024-25 averages). Self-funders usually pay more. See our care home costs guide.

NHS-funded Nursing Care pays £267.68 a week to the home towards registered nursing care for eligible residents (2026/27). A quoted fee may already exclude it.
This home lists dementia care, which usually costs more than standard residential care. See dementia care home costs. NHS Continuing Healthcare may apply where someone's needs are primarily health needs.
How to pay for a care home explains the council means test, what counts as capital and the funding you can ask to be assessed for.

About Buckingham Lodge Care Home

Buckingham Lodge provides personal and nursing care to up to 73 people across three floors. At inspection, 52 residents were using the service, which accommodates those needing residential care, nursing support, or living with dementia. Staff generally supported people to have maximum choice and control over their lives, using the least restrictive approaches in line with their best interests.

However, inspectors identified one person whose needs could not continue to be met safely in line with their preferences, and felt the service could have established this concern earlier and clarified the associated risks to the individual.

Source: CQC inspection report, 25 January 2023

Specialist Care

DementiaOlder peoplePhysical disabilitiesSensory impairmentsYounger adults

Facilities & Amenities

En-suite RoomsWiFiCafe BarActivities ProgrammeDining RoomWheelchair AccessiblePets AllowedParkingPhysiotherapyCinema RoomHairdresserGarden

Photographs of the home

Practical details from the provider

The home has 70 en-suite bedrooms arranged across two floors, with lift access.
Facilities include a cinema, community café, hairdressing salon and landscaped garden.

Published on the provider's website, checked 20 September 2026. Confirm arrangements with the home before deciding.

Fees and availability

We have not verified a current weekly fee for this home. Ask for a written quote based on the room and care needed, including any extra charges.

Check current vacancies, the admission assessment and visiting arrangements directly with the home.

Care and inspection details

Checked against the CQC register on 20 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.

Registered service: Care home service with nursing
Registered capacity: 73 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · IP25 6WL

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Dementia; Physical disabilities; Sensory impairment.

These describe the registration. The home must assess whether it can meet the individual person's needs and whether a place is available.

CQC ratings in more detail

Overall rating shown by CQC: Requires improvement.

Rating report published 25 January 2023. Latest inspection date recorded: 13 October 2022.

Safe: Requires improvement
Effective: Requires improvement
Caring: Good
Responsive: Requires improvement
Well-led: Good

Questions prompted by these ratings

Safe: What changes have been made to medicines, staffing and safeguarding since this rating?
Effective: How are staff training, nutrition and health outcomes checked now?
Responsive: How are care plans, activities and complaints adapted to each resident?

These are questions for your visit, not a claim about conditions today.

Read Buckingham Lodge Care Home's CQC record and reports.

Contains Care Quality Commission information under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings and registration details can change after the date checked.

5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit

When visiting Buckingham Lodge Care Home, consider asking...

1.What specific dementia training do staff receive and how recently?
2.How do you support a resident who becomes distressed or confused?
3.How does the home keep a record of a resident's life history and personal preferences?
4.How do you involve families as dementia progresses and communication becomes harder?
5.What happens when a resident's dementia reaches an advanced stage?

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit Buckingham Lodge Care Home, look out for...

1.Is the environment calm, uncluttered and easy to navigate?
2.Do staff speak to residents with patience and dignity, even if they repeat themselves?
3.Are there memory cues around the home -- photos, familiar objects, clear signage?
4.Do residents seem settled and safe, or agitated and unsupervised?
5.Is there meaningful activity happening, or are residents just sitting quietly with nothing to do?

Could the NHS fund Buckingham Lodge Care Home's fees?

The average nursing home costs £1,535 per week. That's £79,820 a year. NHS Continuing Healthcare could cover all of it. No means test, no contribution from you.

Find out if the NHS could fund these fees