Apley Grange
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds42
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2020-02-01
- Activities programmeThe home stands out for its cleanliness — something visitors consistently notice and appreciate. Residents have access to tablets and entertainment that keeps them engaged with the modern world. There's parking on site, which makes visiting straightforward for families.
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families mention how comfortable they feel visiting here. There's a warmth that comes through in how staff interact with everyone — not just residents but their loved ones too. People notice the way staff work together as a team, creating an atmosphere where residents stay connected to the things they enjoy.
Based on 9 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
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership72
- Resident happiness68
What inspectors found
Inspected 2020-02-01 · Report published 2020-02-01
Is this home safe?
{"found":"Safe was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, safeguarding, and infection control. The published report does not include specific observations, ratios, or detail about how these areas were assessed. A July 2023 review found no evidence requiring a change to this rating. The home has 42 beds and specialises in dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which means safe staffing at night is particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the lack of specific detail means you cannot rely on the published report alone to understand what keeps your parent safe day to day. Good Practice research consistently highlights that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, particularly those supporting people with dementia. The inspection is now more than five years old, and staffing arrangements can change significantly in that time. Ask specifically about overnight ratios and how the home responds when a permanent member of staff is absent.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance and low night staffing ratios are two of the most reliable predictors of safety incidents in care homes. Consistent, permanent staffing is associated with better knowledge of individual residents and faster recognition of deterioration.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency workers covered nights, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for 42 residents."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"Effective was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. This domain covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well the home applies good practice. No specific observations about these areas are recorded in the available report text. The home supports people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which requires staff to hold skills across several specialist areas. The July 2023 monitoring review did not flag any concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in this domain suggests inspectors were broadly satisfied that staff knew what they were doing and that care plans were fit for purpose, but without specific evidence it is hard to know how detailed or truly person-centred those plans are. Our family review data shows that families rate dementia-specific care highly when they can see it reflected in small, practical details, such as whether staff know your parent's history, their preferred name, and what calms them when they are distressed. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents, reviewed regularly and updated with family input. Ask to see how often your parent's plan would be reviewed and whether you would be invited to contribute.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF rapid evidence review found that care plans functioning as living documents, updated in response to changing needs and written with family involvement, are strongly associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan structure and ask how often plans are formally reviewed. Then ask whether families are routinely invited to those reviews or notified of changes. The answer will tell you how genuinely person-centred the process is."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"Caring was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether people are supported to remain as independent as possible. No specific inspector observations, resident quotes, or relative feedback are recorded in the available report text. The absence of detail does not indicate a problem, but it does mean the published report cannot confirm what interactions between staff and your parent would actually look and feel like.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of positive family reviews in our data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive Google reviews across UK care homes, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are the things families notice most and remember longest. Because the published findings contain no specific observations on this domain, you should treat a visit as your primary source of evidence. Watch how staff speak to residents in corridors and communal areas, whether they knock before entering rooms, and whether they use preferred names without being prompted. These small moments are the most reliable indicators of everyday culture.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication, including tone, pace, and physical proximity, matters as much as spoken words for people living with dementia. Homes where staff consistently move without hurry and make eye contact tend to have lower rates of distressed behaviour.","watch_out":"During your visit, stand in a communal area for ten minutes and observe. Do staff initiate conversation with residents, or only respond when asked? Are interactions unhurried? Do staff use residents' preferred names without checking a clipboard first? These observations will tell you more than any published document."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors activity and daily life to individual preferences, responds to complaints, and supports people approaching the end of their life. No specific activities, examples of individual engagement, or end-of-life detail are described in the available report text. The home supports people with dementia and sensory impairment, where group activities alone are rarely sufficient.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive reviews and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%, making these among the most visible signs of a home that genuinely knows its residents. Good Practice evidence is particularly clear that people with more advanced dementia benefit most from one-to-one engagement and familiar, everyday tasks rather than formal group activities. The published report gives no detail on how Apley Grange approaches this. Ask to see the activities timetable and ask specifically what happens for a resident who cannot or does not want to join a group session.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and individually tailored activities, including everyday household tasks such as folding, gardening, or simple cooking, produce measurable improvements in wellbeing for people with dementia compared with group-only programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe a typical week for a resident with moderate dementia who does not join group sessions. If the answer is vague or defaults to television, that tells you something important about how the home invests in one-to-one engagement."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"Well-led was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. A registered manager, Sister Angela O'Connor, and a nominated individual, Mrs Margaret Ann Hill, are named in the inspection record. The home is operated by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus CIO. No specific detail about management visibility, staff culture, governance processes, or how the home handles complaints and incidents is recorded in the available report text. The July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence requiring reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality in care homes, according to Good Practice research, because a consistent manager builds a consistent culture. The fact that named individuals are in post is a positive sign, but the inspection is now more than five years old and it is worth confirming directly whether the same manager is still in place. Management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and families most often mention it when managers are visible and approachable rather than office-based. Ask to meet the manager during your visit and note whether staff seem comfortable speaking around them.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF rapid evidence review found that leadership stability, including a settled, visible manager who empowers staff to raise concerns, is one of the most consistent predictors of sustained quality in care homes. High manager turnover is associated with deteriorating ratings at subsequent inspections.","watch_out":"Ask whether Sister Angela O'Connor is still the registered manager and how long she has been in the role. Then ask whether there are any planned management changes. If leadership has changed since 2019, ask how the transition was handled and whether the home has been inspected since."}
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 supports people with various needs including dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the staff's respectful approach becomes even more valuable. The team understands how to provide support while maintaining each person's dignity and sense of self. — 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
Apley Grange received a Good rating across all five inspection domains in December 2019, which is a positive baseline, but the published report contains very limited specific detail, so scores reflect the rating itself rather than direct inspector observations or testimony.
Homes in Yorkshire & Humberside typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families mention how comfortable they feel visiting here. There's a warmth that comes through in how staff interact with everyone — not just residents but their loved ones too. People notice the way staff work together as a team, creating an atmosphere where residents stay connected to the things they enjoy.
What inspectors have recorded
Staff here seem to have found that crucial balance — being professional while staying genuinely warm. Families describe a team that treats residents with proper respect, never talking down to them or being patronising. The way staff coordinate with each other creates a sense of stability that residents clearly benefit from.
How it sits against good practice
Sometimes the best care comes from understanding that residents are still the same people they've always been — just needing a bit more support.
Worth a visit
Apley Grange, at 35 Oatlands Drive, Harrogate, was rated Good across all five inspection domains following an inspection in December 2019, with the report published in February 2020. The home is run by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus CIO, with a named registered manager and nominated individual in post. A Good rating in every domain is a positive sign, and a subsequent review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a reassessment of that rating. The main uncertainty here is the age of the inspection and the absence of specific detail in the published findings. The report text available does not include inspector observations, resident or family quotes, or examples of practice, so it is not possible to verify what daily life actually looks like for your mum or dad. Before visiting, it is worth noting that this inspection is now over five years old. On your visit, ask to see the current staffing rota, the activities timetable, and whether you can speak to a relative of someone already living there. These conversations will tell you far more than the published findings can.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Apley Grange measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Apley Grange describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where kindness meets independence in Yorkshire care
Apley Grange – Your Trusted nursing home
Some care homes talk about respect — at Apley Grange in Harrogate, families see it in action every day. This Yorkshire home has built its reputation on treating residents as individuals, with staff who understand the difference between supporting someone and taking over their life. Set in one of England's most elegant spa towns, the home offers both security and dignity.
Who they care for
The home supports people with various needs including dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.
For residents living with dementia, the staff's respectful approach becomes even more valuable. The team understands how to provide support while maintaining each person's dignity and sense of self.
Management & ethos
Staff here seem to have found that crucial balance — being professional while staying genuinely warm. Families describe a team that treats residents with proper respect, never talking down to them or being patronising. The way staff coordinate with each other creates a sense of stability that residents clearly benefit from.
The home & environment
The home stands out for its cleanliness — something visitors consistently notice and appreciate. Residents have access to tablets and entertainment that keeps them engaged with the modern world. There's parking on site, which makes visiting straightforward for families.
“Sometimes the best care comes from understanding that residents are still the same people they've always been — just needing a bit more support.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
