The Mews | We Change Lives

What families say

Some families describe feeling welcomed into daily life at the home, with relatives encouraged to join in activities alongside residents. One family member was particularly pleased to see their relative adapt quickly to life at The Mews, maintaining a sense of contentment over time.

Based on 14 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 & leadership73
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-03-02 · Report published 2019-03-02 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Mews received a Good rating for Safe at its February 2021 inspection. This domain covers medicines management, infection control, safeguarding, and staffing levels. The published summary does not include specific inspector observations, staffing ratios, or detail about how medicines are stored and administered. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change this rating. The home is a 25-bed service with a dementia specialism, which makes night-time staffing levels particularly relevant.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating means inspectors were broadly satisfied with safety arrangements at the time of the visit. However, Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in smaller residential homes. With 25 beds and a dementia specialism, the overnight staffing ratio matters enormously for your parent, particularly if they are prone to getting up in the night or become distressed after dark. The published report gives no detail on agency staff usage, which is another key risk factor: homes that rely heavily on agency workers struggle to maintain the consistency that people with dementia need.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that reliance on agency staff is one of the strongest predictors of inconsistent care for people with dementia, because familiarity between staff and resident underpins safe, calm responses to distress.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a planned template. Count permanent versus agency names on night shifts, and ask what the minimum number of staff on duty overnight is for 25 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Mews was rated Good for Effective at its February 2021 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies a baseline expectation of staff training in dementia care. No detail about training content, GP access arrangements, care plan review frequency, or food quality is included in the published summary. The monitoring review of July 2023 did not trigger a reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice evidence places care plans at the heart of effective dementia care. A care plan should be a living document, updated regularly to reflect changes in your parent's condition, preferences, and daily routines, not a form completed on admission and rarely revisited. Our family review data shows that 20.9% of positive reviews specifically mention food as a signal of genuine care, and 20.2% highlight healthcare responsiveness. Because the published report contains no specific detail on either, these are areas to explore directly when you visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training content, particularly in non-verbal communication and understanding behaviour as communication, significantly improves the quality of daily interactions and reduces unnecessary distress for residents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia training staff receive, how recently it was updated, and how often your parent's care plan would be reviewed. Ask whether you would be invited to contribute to those reviews."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Mews received a Good rating for Caring at its February 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. No direct inspector observations, resident quotes, or family comments are included in the published inspection summary. The monitoring review of July 2023 found no evidence to change this rating. Staff warmth is the single most important factor in family satisfaction with a care home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is named in 57.3% of positive family reviews across the UK care homes in our dataset, and compassion and dignity appear in 55.2%. These are not abstract values; they show up in whether staff knock before entering a room, address your parent by their preferred name, sit with them rather than moving on quickly, and respond calmly when they are distressed. A Good Caring rating is encouraging, but the only way to assess this for yourself is to observe it on a visit. Watch how staff move through communal areas and how they speak to residents they pass.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication, tone of voice, pace of movement, and physical proximity, matters as much as spoken words. Staff who are warm and unhurried reduce agitation and support a sense of security.","watch_out":"During your visit, spend time in a communal area and observe whether staff stop to speak to residents they pass or move through without acknowledgement. Notice whether residents are addressed by name and whether staff sit at eye level when speaking to someone who is seated."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Mews was rated Good for Responsive at its February 2021 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, complaints handling, and end-of-life care. The home has a specialism in dementia, which means activities should ideally be tailored to individual ability rather than relying solely on group sessions. No detail about the activities programme, one-to-one engagement, or end-of-life planning is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice evidence is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with dementia, particularly those in later stages. Residents who cannot participate in a group session need meaningful one-to-one engagement, which might be a familiar household task, a sensory activity, or simply sitting with a staff member. Our family review data shows that activities and engagement matter to 21.4% of positive reviewers and resident happiness matters to 27.1%. These are areas where the published report cannot reassure you; only a visit and direct questioning will.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and occupation-focused approaches, including familiar everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, or simple cooking activities, produced measurable reductions in distress and increases in engagement for people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident who is unable to join a group session. Ask specifically what one-to-one engagement is offered to residents with advanced dementia, and ask to see the activities records from the past month."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Mews was rated Good for Well-led at its February 2021 inspection. The service is run by We Change Lives (WCL), with Emma Jane Norman as the registered manager and Philip Sermon as the nominated individual. A named, registered manager in post is a positive structural indicator. No detail about the management culture, staff feedback mechanisms, governance processes, or how the home learns from incidents is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained care quality. A manager who knows residents by name, is visible on the floor, and can be reached by families is worth more than any paperwork system. Our family review data shows that communication with families matters to 11.5% of positive reviewers, and management quality matters to 23.4%. The inspection confirms a manager is in post, but it cannot tell you how long they have been there, how visible they are day to day, or how they respond when something goes wrong.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear of reprisal have significantly better safety records and higher family satisfaction scores, and that this culture is set directly by the registered manager.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at The Mews specifically, not with the organisation. Ask what they would do if a family member called to say they were worried about their parent's care, and listen for whether they describe a specific process or give a vague reassurance."}

  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 Mews provides care for adults over 65 as well as younger adults who need support. The home also cares for people living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on As a home that supports people with dementia, The Mews works with residents at different stages of their journey. Families considering dementia care here may want to discuss the home's approach to supporting residents as their needs change. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.