Enter and View - Dr Ashdown's Stockton Lodge

Report - 7 August 2026

Our Enter and View programme gives Healthwatch County Durham's authorised representatives the legal power to visit health and social care services, such as care homes, hospitals, GP practices and dental surgeries, to see how services are being delivered and hear directly from people using them.

As part of our 2025/2026 work plan we carried out a programme of Enter and View visits at Care Homes across County Durham to speak with staff, residents and families about how care was provided. One of the visits we undertook was an pre-announced Enter and View at Dr. Ashdown’s Stockton Lodge in Seaham. Stockton Lodge is a purpose built residential care home for older adults with and without dementia, offering a combination of residential, nursing care and a unit dedicated to support challenging behaviour. 

We received 15 pieces of feedback in total regarding residents. 11 from residents themselves, three from relatives and one from a visitor. Nine staff members also contributed from a variety of roles. During our preparations there was a managerial crossover - the outgoing and incoming managers held slightly different views on how far and how quickly support arrangements could be adjusted to improve the service but both agreed about the need to enhance the outdoor space. 

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