Kenwood Nursing Home

What families say

Based on 6 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership70
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-17 · Report published 2023-05-17 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the April 2023 inspection. The home is registered to provide nursing care, which means qualified nurses should be available on site. No specific detail about staffing ratios, medicines management, falls prevention, or infection control practices is recorded in the published findings. The home has been inspected three times, suggesting an established regulatory history.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety is reassuring, but the published report does not tell you how many staff are on at night, how much the home relies on agency staff, or how it handles falls and incidents. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, and that high agency use undermines the consistency that people with dementia depend on. Because the published findings do not cover these points, you will need to ask directly. Staff attentiveness is cited in 14% of positive family reviews in our data, which suggests it is something families notice and value, even if inspectors do not always record it in detail.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that inconsistent staffing, particularly heavy reliance on agency staff at night, is one of the strongest predictors of safety failures in dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many names are permanent staff versus agency, and specifically check who is on the night shift and whether a nurse is always present."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the April 2023 inspection. The home is registered for nursing and personal care, including dementia and physical disabilities, which implies a range of clinical and care skills are required of staff. No specific detail about care plan quality, GP access, dementia training, medicines administration, or nutritional support is recorded in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For families considering a home for a parent with dementia, the Effective rating matters because it covers whether staff actually know how to care for your parent's specific needs, not just whether kind intentions are in place. Healthcare access and food quality together account for around 41% of the weighting in our family satisfaction model. The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should change as your parent's needs change, yet this inspection gives no detail about how frequently plans are reviewed or whether families are involved. Ask about dementia training specifically: what it covers, how recently staff completed it, and whether it is refreshed regularly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training, particularly training that covers non-verbal communication and behavioural responses to unmet need, significantly improves the quality of day-to-day care for people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often are care plans reviewed, and when was the last time a family member was invited to contribute to their relative's plan? Then ask to see the training record for one member of the dementia unit staff to check what dementia training they have completed and when."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the April 2023 inspection. No specific inspector observations about staff warmth, use of preferred names, responses to distress, or unhurried interactions are recorded in the published findings. No quotes from residents or relatives about their experience of care are included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive family reviews, and compassion and dignity together account for a further 55.2%. The absence of specific observations in this inspection does not mean these qualities are absent at Kenwood Care Home, but it does mean you cannot take the Good rating alone as evidence of warm, person-led care. When you visit, watch how staff greet your parent in a corridor or common room when they think no one is evaluating them. Do they use a name? Do they stop and make eye contact? Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal interaction for people living with dementia.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that person-led care, defined as staff knowing individual histories, preferences, and communication styles, is the most consistent predictor of positive emotional wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia.","watch_out":"When you visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes without announcing yourself as a prospective family member. Watch whether staff passing through stop to acknowledge residents, use their names, and respond to any signs of agitation or distress without hurrying past."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the April 2023 inspection. The home is registered to provide care for people with dementia and physical disabilities, which requires individualised approaches to activity and daily life. No specific detail about the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, individual preferences, or end-of-life planning is recorded in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness together account for nearly 48% of the weighting in our family satisfaction model, making this one of the most important areas to probe when you visit. A Good rating tells you the home met the standard, but it does not tell you whether your parent will have meaningful things to do or whether there is someone who will sit with them individually if group activities are not suitable. Good Practice research identifies one-to-one engagement and everyday household tasks, such as folding, sorting, or simple cooking, as particularly beneficial for people with advanced dementia, yet these are rarely captured in inspection reports. Ask specifically about what happens on a quiet afternoon when the group activity has finished.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches, including familiar everyday tasks, produce measurably better engagement and reduced distress in people with moderate to advanced dementia compared with group-only activity programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what happened last Tuesday afternoon, not what is on the activity schedule. Ask specifically: what did residents who cannot easily join a group do that day, and who spent time with them one to one?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the April 2023 inspection. Mrs Edith Nkole Mansfield is the registered manager and Ms Laura Rushton is the nominated individual for Aurem Care (Kenwood) Limited. No detail about manager visibility, staff culture, governance processes, how complaints are handled, or how the home responds to feedback is recorded in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and communication with families together account for around 35% of the weighting in our family satisfaction model, and Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of a home's quality over time. The named registered manager is a positive sign, but the published findings give no indication of how long she has been in post, how visible she is to residents and families day to day, or how staff describe the culture of the home. When you visit, ask how long the current manager has been in place and whether there have been significant staffing changes in the past year. High turnover under a growing occupancy is a warning sign worth checking.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that homes with stable, visible leadership and a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear consistently outperform homes with frequent management changes on quality measures over time.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, and how many permanent care staff left the home in the past 12 months? A high turnover figure, particularly combined with growing occupancy, is worth understanding before you commit."}

  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 home welcomes younger adults with physical disabilities alongside older residents, providing specialised support for people living with dementia. This mixed-age environment means they're experienced in adapting care to different life stages and mobility needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the team provides dedicated support in a contained environment. The smaller scale of the home can help reduce confusion, though families might want to ask about activities and stimulation during their visit. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.