What families say

Based on 10 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 happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-10-01 · Report published 2022-10-01 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the September 2022 inspection. The published summary does not describe specific observations about staffing levels, medicines management, falls, or infection control. The home supports five people with a notably varied range of needs including dementia, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. No concerns were raised that would suggest immediate safety issues. A monitoring review in July 2023 did not prompt a reassessment of the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the absence of published detail means you cannot rely on this report alone to know whether your parent is truly safe here. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in small homes, and with only five beds covering multiple complex conditions, you need to know exactly how many staff are present overnight and what their training covers. Agency staff usage is another key marker: high reliance on unfamiliar agency workers undermines the consistency that people with dementia and learning disabilities depend on. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness is mentioned in 14% of positive reviews as a specific safety signal, so observe how staff respond to residents during your visit rather than relying on the rating alone.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research from the IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and the consistency of the permanent staff team are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in small residential homes supporting people with complex needs.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the planned template. Note how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency or bank workers, and ask specifically how many staff are on duty overnight when all five residents are present."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the September 2022 inspection. Dementia is listed as a named specialism, which implies that staff training in this area was considered adequate by inspectors. No specific detail about care plan content, GP access, medication management, or food quality is included in the published text. The Good rating in this domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective means inspectors were satisfied that the home knew what it was doing at the time of the visit. For a home with dementia as a specialism, the Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans need to function as living documents, updated after any change in health or behaviour, not just reviewed annually. Food quality is a marker that families mention in 20.9% of positive reviews, and in a five-bed home it is entirely reasonable to ask whether meals are freshly prepared and whether dietary preferences and textures are properly recorded. The inspection did not record specific detail on any of these areas, so they are worth exploring directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training, particularly in non-verbal communication and behaviour that challenges, significantly improves outcomes for residents, but only when training is applied consistently by all staff including night staff and relief workers.","watch_out":"Ask to see an example care plan (with personal details removed if needed) and check whether it records the person's life history, preferred routines, and how staff should respond if they become distressed. A care plan that reads like a medical form rather than a description of a person is a warning sign."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the September 2022 inspection. The published text does not include any direct quotes from residents, relatives, or staff, and no specific inspector observations about staff interactions are described. The Good rating implies that inspectors were satisfied with the warmth and respect shown to residents during the visit. No concerns about dignity or privacy were raised.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity account for a further 55.2%. The inspection rating is positive, but because no specific examples were published, you cannot know from this report whether staff here use preferred names, respond to distress patiently, or give residents time and control over their own routines. For people with dementia or learning disabilities, non-verbal communication matters as much as words: tone, pace, and physical gentleness are things you can only assess by being present. Visit at a time that includes a personal care or mealtime period if possible.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know and respond to the individual's history, preferences, and non-verbal signals, produces measurably better outcomes for people with dementia than compliance-focused approaches, even in homes with broadly adequate staffing.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff address each person who lives here. Do they use the name the person prefers? Do they crouch or sit to speak at eye level? Do they move without hurry? These behaviours take about ten minutes to observe and tell you more than any rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the September 2022 inspection. The home supports adults across a wide age range with dementia, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which means individual responsiveness is particularly important given the diversity of needs. No specific detail about activities, individual engagement, end-of-life planning, or how complaints are handled is included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Responsive means the home adapts to what each person needs rather than fitting everyone into the same routine. In a five-bed home this should be more achievable than in a large care home, but it requires deliberate effort, especially for residents who cannot participate in group activities. Our review data shows that activities and engagement are mentioned in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and Good Practice research is clear that one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks like folding laundry, tending plants, or listening to familiar music, is particularly valuable for people with advanced dementia or limited mobility. The inspection did not record any detail on how this home delivers individual engagement, so ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-oriented individual activities, rather than group entertainment programmes, produce significantly better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia, particularly those who are less able to communicate verbally.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident who cannot join group activities. If the answer is vague or defaults to television, ask how the home records one-to-one engagement and whether you can see last month's activity notes for one resident (anonymised if needed)."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the September 2022 inspection. A Nominated Individual, Mrs Susan Hall, is recorded for the service, indicating a named person with formal accountability. The home is operated by United Response, a national charitable provider, which suggests an organisational governance structure sits behind the local management. No detail about the day-to-day manager, staff culture, or how the home acts on feedback is included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research consistently shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality over time: homes where the manager is known by residents and staff, and where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, tend to maintain their standards between inspections. A Good rating in Well-led is encouraging, but this inspection is now over two years old and a monitoring review rather than a full reinspection took place in July 2023. That means you are relying on a rating that reflects conditions in September 2022. Management and staff teams can change significantly in that time. Our family review data shows that communication with families is mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews as a specific marker of good leadership, so ask how the home keeps you informed.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF rapid evidence review found that bottom-up staff empowerment, where frontline carers feel confident to raise concerns and contribute to decisions, is a stronger predictor of sustained quality than formal governance structures alone.","watch_out":"Ask who the registered manager is today, how long they have been in post, and whether there have been any significant staff changes in the past 12 months. Then ask how the home would contact you if your parent had a fall, a health change, or a difficult day. The specificity of the answer will tell you a great deal."}

  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 team here supports residents with various needs — from learning and physical disabilities to sensory impairments and dementia care. They work with adults across different age groups, creating an environment where younger and older residents can thrive together.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialist care alongside support for those with other complex needs. This mixed approach means people receive individualised support within a diverse community. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.