Summon Bonum
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Residential homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds9
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Learning disabilities, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities
- Last inspected2018-04-18
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Based on 2 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth55
- Compassion & dignity55
- Cleanliness55
- Activities & engagement50
- Food quality50
- Healthcare50
- Management & leadership58
- Resident happiness55
What inspectors found
Inspected 2018-04-18 · Report published 2018-04-18 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good in March 2018. The home supports people with complex needs including dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities across 9 beds. No specific detail about medicines management, falls logging, infection control, or staffing ratios is available from the published report text. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring reassessment of the Safe rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety is reassuring as a baseline, but for a home supporting people with dementia, the detail behind that rating matters enormously. Good Practice research consistently finds that safety is most at risk after 8pm, when staffing typically reduces. In a 9-bed home, even one staff member being absent can significantly change the level of attention available to your parent overnight. The 2023 monitoring review suggests no serious concerns have emerged, but you cannot rely on a seven-year-old inspection to tell you about today's medicines processes or how the home responds when someone falls.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and reliance on agency staff are the two most consistent predictors of safety gaps in small residential homes supporting people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the home: how many staff are on duty overnight, are they the same people each night, and can you show me your falls register from the last three months?"}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good in March 2018. The home lists dementia as a specialism alongside learning disabilities, mental health, and physical disabilities u2014 a broad range of needs for a 9-bed service. No detail about staff training content, care plan quality, GP access arrangements, or how the home supports nutrition and hydration is available from the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in dementia care is not just about having a Good rating u2014 it is about whether staff genuinely understand how dementia changes the way your parent communicates, eats, and experiences the world. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents updated with family input, not paperwork completed at admission and left unchanged. For a home supporting such a wide range of conditions in only 9 beds, the training and expertise of each individual staff member carries enormous weight. Ask to see evidence of dementia-specific training, not just general care qualifications.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that homes where staff received structured dementia-specific training u2014 covering communication, behaviour as communication, and person-centred approaches u2014 produced measurably better outcomes for residents than those relying on general care certificates alone.","watch_out":"Ask the home: what dementia-specific training have staff completed in the last 12 months, and can I see a sample care plan to understand how you record my parent's personal preferences and daily routines?"}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good in March 2018. No inspector observations of staff interactions, no resident or family quotes, and no specific examples of how dignity and privacy are maintained are available in the published report text. The home's small size u2014 9 beds u2014 could naturally support a more personal, unhurried atmosphere, but this cannot be confirmed from the inspection alone.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"In our analysis of over 3,600 positive family reviews across UK care homes, staff warmth (57.3%) and compassion and dignity (55.2%) are by far the most important themes families mention when recommending a home. A Good rating suggests inspectors were satisfied, but the absence of any specific observations or testimony means you cannot know from this report whether the warmth is genuine and consistent. For people with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, unhurried pace, a familiar face u2014 matters as much as anything else. Your visit is the only reliable way to assess this for your parent.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research found that in homes where staff knew residents' life histories, used preferred names consistently, and responded to distress without resorting to sedating interventions, residents with dementia showed significantly lower levels of agitation and higher observable wellbeing.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal spaces when they think no one is observing u2014 are they making eye contact, using names, and moving at the resident's pace rather than their own?"}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good in March 2018. No detail about the activities programme, how the home tailors engagement to individuals with advanced dementia or physical disabilities, or how end-of-life wishes are planned and recorded is available from the published text. The breadth of conditions supported u2014 dementia, learning disabilities, mental health u2014 suggests a need for highly individualised approaches.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For many families, this is the domain that most directly answers the question: will my parent have a life here, or just be kept safe? Good Practice evidence is clear that group activities alone are insufficient u2014 people with dementia, particularly in later stages, need regular one-to-one engagement tailored to their history and preferences. In a 9-bed home, the potential for genuinely individual attention is high, but only if staffing levels allow it. Family review data shows that activities and engagement (21.4%) and resident happiness (27.1%) are among the clearest signals families use to judge whether a home is truly caring for the whole person.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review identified that Montessori-based approaches and the incorporation of familiar everyday tasks u2014 folding laundry, tending plants, preparing simple food u2014 were among the most effective methods for maintaining identity and reducing distress in people with dementia in residential settings.","watch_out":"Ask the home: what would a typical Tuesday look like for my parent, and what would happen if they were having a bad day and couldn't join a group activity u2014 who would sit with them, and for how long?"}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good in March 2018. The home is run by Mrs J Whitney as a named individual provider. No detail about management visibility, staff empowerment, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints and feedback is available from the published report text. The July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence requiring reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research consistently shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. A named, individual owner-operator can be a genuine strength u2014 it often means a personal investment in the home's culture that larger corporate providers cannot replicate. However, it also means that if Mrs Whitney is absent, ill, or steps back, the impact on the home could be significant. Communication with families (11.5% of positive reviews) is closely linked to how well-led a home feels u2014 families who feel kept informed trust the home more deeply. Ask directly how involved the owner is day to day.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that homes led by managers with long tenure and high visibility u2014 who were known by name to both residents and families u2014 consistently outperformed those with frequent leadership changes on measures of staff stability, incident learning, and family satisfaction.","watch_out":"Ask the home: how long has Mrs Whitney been running this service, is she present in the home most days, and who is responsible for day-to-day management if she is unavailable?"}
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The team here works with adults both under and over 65, supporting people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They also provide specialist dementia care, bringing professional expertise to each person's unique situation.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the care team understands how memory loss affects daily life. They work to create familiar routines and gentle support that helps people feel secure and valued. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Summon Bonum holds a Good rating across all five domains, but the single inspection from March 2018 — now over seven years old — provides very limited specific detail, meaning scores reflect the rating grade rather than observed evidence of day-to-day life for your parent.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
Summon Bonum at 56a St Marychurch Road, Torquay is a small, 9-bed home rated Good across all five inspection domains following an assessment in March 2018. The home supports a wide range of needs including dementia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities, and a July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence to change that Good rating. Its small size is a genuine potential strength — homes of this scale can offer a much more personal, family-like atmosphere than larger services. The significant uncertainty here is the age of the evidence. The only full inspection took place more than seven years ago, and the published report text contains almost no specific detail about day-to-day life — no staff observations, no resident or family quotes, no descriptions of activities, food, the environment, or dementia care practice. A Good rating from 2018 tells you the home met the standard then; it cannot tell you what your parent's daily experience would be today. When you visit, ask specifically: how many permanent staff are on duty on the dementia unit after 8pm, how often do you use agency staff, and can I see a sample care plan showing how you record individual preferences?
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In Their Own Words
How Summon Bonum describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Specialist care across ages and abilities in coastal Torquay
Dedicated residential home Support in Torquay
Summon Bonum in Torquay brings together specialist support for people with quite different needs — from younger adults with learning disabilities to older residents living with dementia. This South West care home creates a welcoming environment where people with physical disabilities, mental health conditions and memory challenges can all find the right kind of care.
Who they care for
The team here works with adults both under and over 65, supporting people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They also provide specialist dementia care, bringing professional expertise to each person's unique situation.
For residents living with dementia, the care team understands how memory loss affects daily life. They work to create familiar routines and gentle support that helps people feel secure and valued.
“If you're looking for specialist care in the Torquay area, it's worth getting in touch to discuss your family's specific needs.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
