Elton Hall Care Home

What families say

The atmosphere here strikes visitors as notably calm and peaceful. Staff come across as both professional and genuinely friendly, creating an environment where people feel comfortable approaching them with questions or concerns.

Based on 11 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-12-07 · Report published 2019-12-07 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Safe domain Good at the January 2022 inspection, an improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The home has 70 beds and provides care for people living with dementia, which means safe staffing at night is particularly important. No specific staffing numbers, falls data, or medicines observations are recorded in the published findings. The improvement from Requires Improvement is a positive signal, but the detail behind it is not available in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A move from Requires Improvement to Good in safety is genuinely encouraging. It means that whatever the previous concerns were, inspectors were satisfied they had been addressed by January 2022. That said, Good is a baseline, not a ceiling, and for a 70-bed home with a dementia specialism, the specific question is how many staff are on the floor after 8pm. Our Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, March 2026) identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in residential care. Cleanliness is also one of the eight themes families raise most consistently in our review data (24.3% of positive reviews mention it directly), so look closely at the condition of corridors, bathrooms, and communal areas when you visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios are the single strongest predictor of safety failures in residential dementia care, and that agency reliance undermines the consistent presence that people with dementia need to feel secure.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from last week, not the template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency or bank staff appear on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing number is for the overnight period across all 70 beds."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Effective domain Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, nutrition, and access to healthcare. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means staff should have specific training in supporting people with dementia, not just general care qualifications. No detail on training content, care plan review frequency, GP access arrangements, or food quality observations is available in the published inspection text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you that inspectors were satisfied with the knowledge and skills of the team and the way care is planned. What it does not tell you is whether the care plan for your mum or dad would actually reflect who they are as a person, including their life history, their preferences, and how they communicate when words become difficult. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights care plans as living documents that should be updated regularly and shaped by families, not just completed at admission. Food quality, which 20.9% of families mention in positive reviews, is also assessed here. Ask to see a sample menu and, if possible, arrange to visit at a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that dementia-specific training, when it goes beyond basic awareness to include communication techniques and behaviour understanding, significantly improves quality of life for people living with dementia and reduces the use of sedative medicines.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what specific dementia training staff complete, how recently the team was trained, and whether family members are invited to contribute to or review their relative's care plan. Ask how often care plans are formally reviewed and updated."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Caring domain Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, privacy, and whether people are treated as individuals. Staff warmth and compassion are the two biggest drivers of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% and 55.2% of positive reviews respectively. No specific inspector observations about staff interactions, preferred names, or the pace of care are included in the published inspection text. No resident or relative quotes are recorded.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the thing families mention most when they say a care home is good, and it is also the hardest thing to assess from a report. A Good Caring rating means inspectors were satisfied, but the only way to form your own view is to visit. Watch how staff interact with people in corridors and communal areas when they do not know they are being observed. Notice whether staff use preferred names, whether they crouch down to speak to someone seated, and whether anyone is left waiting without acknowledgement. Our Good Practice evidence base emphasises that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people with advanced dementia, so look for gentle touch, eye contact, and an unhurried pace.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that person-centred caring approaches, including knowing someone's life history and preferred name, are associated with significantly lower rates of distress and agitation in people living with dementia.","watch_out":"On your visit, ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name would be and how they would know it. Watch whether staff make eye contact and speak directly to residents rather than over their heads. Note whether anyone appears to be waiting for assistance without being acknowledged."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Responsive domain Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, complaints handling, and end-of-life care. The home supports people with dementia and mental health conditions, which means meaningful, tailored activities matter more than a standard group programme. No specific activities are described in the published inspection text. No detail on individual engagement for people who cannot join group sessions, or on end-of-life planning, is available.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Responsive rating suggests inspectors were satisfied that the home was meeting individual needs and responding to them. However, activities and engagement, mentioned in 21.4% of positive family reviews, vary enormously between homes with the same rating. For someone living with dementia, the question is not whether there is a weekly bingo session, but whether there is someone who will sit with your mum and look through photographs, help her fold laundry, or water plants. Our Good Practice evidence base finds that everyday household tasks and one-to-one engagement are more beneficial for people with advanced dementia than structured group activities. Ask specifically what happens on a quiet Tuesday afternoon for someone who cannot join a group.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and activity-based approaches, particularly those drawing on familiar everyday tasks, significantly reduce apathy and improve wellbeing in people living with dementia, especially when delivered one-to-one.","watch_out":"Ask the activities co-ordinator to describe what a typical weekday looks like for a resident with moderate dementia who cannot engage with group sessions. Ask whether there is dedicated one-to-one time built into the weekly schedule, and ask to see an activity record for one resident from the previous two weeks."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Well-led domain Good at the January 2022 inspection. A named registered manager, Vicky Mckie, and a nominated individual, Mr Howard Emanuel, are both recorded. The home is operated by Bondcare (Ambassador) Limited. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating across all domains suggests that leadership has been effective in driving change. No detail on manager tenure, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints and feedback is included in the published inspection text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality over time. A named, in-post registered manager is a good starting point, and the fact that the whole home improved from Requires Improvement to Good suggests that leadership was actively addressing problems rather than sitting with them. That said, a 2022 inspection is now more than two years old, and you should ask whether Vicky Mckie is still in post. Management continuity, which 23.4% of families reference in positive reviews, matters because the manager sets the tone for how staff treat residents and how the home responds when things go wrong. A good manager knows residents by name and is visible on the floor, not only in the office.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that leadership stability, including manager tenure and the ability of staff to raise concerns without fear, is one of the most reliable predictors of sustained quality in care homes.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask to meet the registered manager and find out how long they have been in post. Ask one open question: how do staff let them know when something is not working well? The answer will tell you more about the culture than any policy document."}

  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 at Elton Hall supports adults both under and over 65, including those living with dementia or mental health conditions.. Gaps or open questions remain on For families navigating dementia care, the home provides support within their peaceful environment. Their experience includes working with residents at different stages of their dementia journey. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.