Vicarage Care Nursing Home

What families say

Visitors describe being greeted warmly when they arrive, with staff who are approachable and friendly. The overall environment feels calm and peaceful, which families say helps their relatives feel more at ease.

Based on 4 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth62
• Compassion & dignity62
• Cleanliness62
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality52
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership68
• Resident happiness60

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-03-28 · Report published 2018-03-28 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the December 2017 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This suggests the home had addressed whatever safety concerns were identified previously. However, the published report text provides no specific detail about what inspectors observed u2014 no staffing numbers, no falls data, no medicines management findings, and no infection control observations are described. The home is registered as a nursing home, meaning a registered nurse should be present at all times, but this is not confirmed in the available report. The July 2023 review found no evidence to change the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating after a previous Requires Improvement is genuinely reassuring u2014 it means the home identified problems and fixed them, which takes real effort. But because the report gives no specific detail, you cannot tell from this document alone whether your parent would be safe at night, how falls are managed, or how medicines are handled. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency that people with dementia particularly need. On your visit, ask to see the falls register for the last three months and ask how many of those resulted in a review of the person's care plan.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes, yet these are rarely captured in inspection snapshots.","watch_out":"Ask: 'How many staff are on duty overnight, and are any of them agency? Is a registered nurse always present on site between 10pm and 7am?'"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, suggesting inspectors were satisfied with care planning, training, healthcare access, and nutrition at the time of inspection. The home lists dementia as a registered specialism, which implies dementia-specific training and approaches should be in place. However, the published report contains no detail about what dementia training staff receive, how often care plans are reviewed, whether GPs visit regularly, or how dietary needs are managed. No quotes from staff, residents, or families about the quality of care delivery are included. The rating reflects a point-in-time assessment from December 2017.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effective care for someone with dementia means staff who understand what dementia actually does u2014 not just to memory, but to pain recognition, communication, and eating. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific understanding (cited in 12.7% of positive reviews) matters as much to families as general nursing competence. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents, updated regularly with family input u2014 not filed away after admission. Ask to see your parent's draft care plan before they move in, and ask how often it would be reviewed and whether you would be invited to those reviews.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans which actively incorporate family knowledge of the individual u2014 their history, preferences, and triggers u2014 are associated with better outcomes for people with dementia, particularly around distress and agitation.","watch_out":"Ask: 'Can I see an example of how a resident's care plan is updated after a health change? How would you involve me in reviewing my parent's plan, and how often does that happen?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, indicating inspectors were satisfied with the warmth, dignity, and respect shown to people living at the home. Staff warmth and compassion are the two highest-weighted themes in our family review data, so this rating matters enormously. Unfortunately, the published report contains no specific observations of staff interactions, no resident testimony about how they feel treated, and no examples of dignity in practice. The absence of detail does not mean the care is poor u2014 it means the published record does not allow independent verification of what Good looks like in this home on a typical day.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest factor families mention in positive reviews u2014 cited in 57.3% of all positive feedback across more than 5,000 UK care homes. A Good Caring rating is a positive signal, but the only way to really assess this for your parent is to visit unannounced if possible, or at an unexpected time of day. Watch how staff greet your parent at the door. Do they use their preferred name? Do they crouch to eye level? Do they touch an arm reassuringly without being asked? Good Practice research shows that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone, pace, touch u2014 often matters more than words.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base confirms that person-led care requires staff to know individuals deeply u2014 their life history, preferences, and non-verbal cues u2014 and that this knowledge, not just training, is what makes the difference between technically correct and genuinely kind care.","watch_out":"When you visit, notice: do staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted? Do they make eye contact and speak at a calm pace, or do interactions feel transactional and hurried?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, suggesting the home was considered to be meeting people's individual needs, offering meaningful activities, and having appropriate arrangements for end-of-life care. For a dementia-specialist home with 52 beds, responsive care should include tailored individual activities u2014 not just group sessions u2014 and genuine attention to what each person enjoyed before they moved in. The published report provides no description of the activities programme, no mention of how the home supports people who cannot engage in groups, and no detail about end-of-life planning practices. The rating reflects a 2017 inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness is cited positively in 27.1% of family reviews, and activities engagement in 21.4% u2014 families notice when their parent has something to do and seems settled. Good Practice research is particularly clear that people with dementia benefit from familiar, everyday activities u2014 folding laundry, tending plants, looking at photographs u2014 rather than formal group entertainment. Ask the home what your parent would actually do on a Tuesday afternoon if they didn't want to join a group. One-to-one engagement time is one of the clearest markers separating genuinely responsive homes from those that are merely compliant.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review identified Montessori-based and household-task approaches as among the strongest evidence-based methods for maintaining engagement and wellbeing in people with dementia, particularly those who can no longer participate in structured group activities.","watch_out":"Ask: 'What would my parent do on a day when they don't want to join a group activity? Is there a named member of staff responsible for one-to-one time, and how is that logged?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and the home has named leadership in place: Mr James Ephraims as Registered Manager and Mr Christian Grey as Nominated Individual. The turnaround from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains is itself a leadership achievement, and the July 2023 review found no reason to revisit the rating. However, it is important to note that the inspection was carried out in December 2017 u2014 over six years ago. Management stability, staff culture, and governance systems can change significantly in that time, and the published report contains no detail about how the home handles complaints, what quality monitoring systems are in place, or whether staff feel empowered to raise concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes u2014 Good Practice research is consistent on this point. A manager who knows the staff, knows the residents, and has been in post long enough to build a culture matters enormously. Our family review data shows management is cited positively in 23.4% of reviews, often specifically mentioning that families feel listened to. Ask how long the current manager has been in post, and ask what has changed at the home since 2017. A confident, open answer to that question tells you a great deal.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett review found that leadership continuity u2014 a stable, visible manager who empowers staff to raise concerns u2014 is one of the most reliable predictors of whether a Good rating is sustained or whether quality quietly deteriorates between inspections.","watch_out":"Ask: 'How long has the current Registered Manager been in post? What are the two or three biggest changes the home has made in the last two years, and how did those come about?'"}

  Verified by inspector

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 Vicarage provides nursing care for adults over 65, with specialist support for those living with dementia. They also care for younger adults who need nursing support.. Gaps or open questions remain on While dementia care is offered here, families haven't shared specific details about the approaches used. You might want to ask about memory support activities and specialized training when you visit. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.