Martin Hall Nursing Home

What families say

Families describe the care staff as friendly and approachable, with nurses who really try to meet each resident's individual needs. The team seems particularly experienced with complex medical requirements, keeping vulnerable residents safe and as comfortable as possible.

Based on 14 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth52
• Compassion & dignity52
• Cleanliness52
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare52
• Management & leadership55
• Resident happiness52

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-03-03 · Report published 2021-03-03 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. Beyond the rating itself, the published summary does not include specific observations about medicines management, falls prevention, infection control, or staffing numbers. A desk review in July 2023 found no new concerns. The home is registered for nursing care, which means a qualified nurse should be on duty at all times, but the inspection text does not confirm shift-by-shift staffing arrangements.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating tells you that inspectors did not find systemic failures, which matters. However, Good Practice research consistently highlights that safety risks in care homes are most likely to emerge at night, when staffing is thinnest and senior oversight is reduced. Our family review data also shows that attentiveness, knowing your parent will be noticed if something is wrong, is a key concern in 14% of positive reviews. Because the inspection text gives you no specific detail here, you cannot rely on the rating alone. You need to ask the home directly about night staffing ratios and how incidents and falls are recorded and reviewed.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and reliance on agency staff are two of the strongest predictors of safety risk in care homes. A Good daytime picture does not automatically guarantee safe night-time care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many staff are on duty overnight for the 40 beds, and is there always a qualified nurse on site? Then ask to see the incident log for the last three months to check whether falls are being recorded and whether actions were taken after each one."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutritional support. The published text does not provide specific detail on any of these areas. No information is available about dementia training completion rates, GP access arrangements, how care plans are structured, or how food quality and dietary preferences are managed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For families considering a home for a parent with dementia, the Effective domain is particularly important because it covers whether staff know enough about dementia to provide genuinely good care, not just safe care. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care quality is a theme in 12.7% of positive reviews. Good Practice research is clear that care plans need to be living documents, updated regularly and informed by family knowledge of the person, not just clinical assessments completed on admission. Because the inspection text gives no detail, you should ask to see a sample care plan format on your visit to judge whether it captures the person behind the diagnosis.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed at least monthly for people with dementia, with family involvement built in as standard rather than as an occasional courtesy.","watch_out":"Ask to see a blank or anonymised care plan template. Check whether it includes sections for personal history, preferred routines, communication style, and food likes and dislikes. If it reads like a clinical form rather than a portrait of a person, ask how individual detail gets captured."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how well staff know the people in their care. The published text contains no direct observations of staff interactions, no resident or family quotes, and no specific examples of how dignity is upheld in practice. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied at the time, but the basis for that satisfaction is not described.","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 together account for 55.2%. These are not soft extras. They are the things families remember and the things that determine whether your parent feels safe and valued day to day. Because the inspection text offers no observable evidence here, a visit is essential. Watch how staff greet your parent when you arrive together. Notice whether they use preferred names, make eye contact, and move without hurry. These small behaviours are the most reliable signals available to you.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with dementia. Staff who crouch to eye level, use a calm tone, and wait for a response before acting are demonstrating person-led care in the most direct way possible.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch a corridor interaction between a staff member and a resident who is not expecting a task. Does the staff member stop, make eye contact, and use the resident's name? Or do they walk past without acknowledgement? That small moment is one of the most reliable indicators of everyday caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This domain covers how well the home tailors care to individual needs, what activities are available, and how complaints and end-of-life wishes are handled. The published text contains no description of the activity programme, no examples of individual tailoring, and no reference to end-of-life care planning. The home is registered for dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities, suggesting a complex resident population with varied needs.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness is the theme in 27.1%. For people living with dementia in particular, Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not enough. Residents who cannot easily join a group, because of mobility, anxiety, or advanced dementia, need regular one-to-one engagement built into the daily routine. The inspection tells you nothing specific about whether this home provides that. Ask directly, and if you can, visit at a time that is not a scheduled group activity to see what everyday engagement actually looks like.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base highlights that Montessori-based and household task approaches, folding, sorting, familiar domestic routines, sustain engagement and a sense of purpose for people with mid-to-late stage dementia far more effectively than passive group entertainment.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what happened yesterday for a resident who could not join the group session. If the answer is vague or they cannot give a specific example, one-to-one engagement may not be consistently built into the day."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. Mr Bogdan Florea is named as the registered manager and Mrs Kim Gallagher as the nominated individual. Beyond these names and the rating, the published text does not describe management visibility, staff culture, how the home responds to complaints, or what governance systems are in place. The July 2023 review found no reason to change the Good rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality and communication with families account for 23.4% and 11.5% of positive family reviews in our data respectively. Good Practice research is consistent on one point: leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. A home with a settled, visible manager who staff feel able to challenge tends to maintain standards more reliably than one where leadership changes frequently. The inspection text does not tell you whether Mr Florea is long-serving or recently appointed, or how staff experience the management culture. These are questions worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base finds that staff who feel psychologically safe enough to raise concerns without fear of reprisal are a key indicator of a well-led home. Bottom-up empowerment, not just top-down policy, is what translates good ratings into consistent daily practice.","watch_out":"Ask a member of staff, not the manager, how long they have worked at the home and whether they feel comfortable raising concerns. A confident, specific answer is reassuring. Hesitation or a glance toward a manager before answering tells you something important about the culture."}

  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 supports younger adults under 65 alongside older residents, caring for people with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and substance misuse problems.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the nursing team provides essential medical and personal care. However, families have raised concerns about the lack of organised activities or mental stimulation throughout the day. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.