Winifred Dell Care Home

What families say

Families talk about walking in and feeling the difference straight away. There's real laughter here, proper conversations, and that indefinable sense of a place where people want to be. The lifestyle team keeps everyone engaged with everything from regular outings to quieter activities that match what each resident enjoys.

Based on 38 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-09-20 · Report published 2023-09-20 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Winifred Dell Care Home was rated Good for safety at its August 2023 inspection, an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating in this domain. Inspectors judged that staffing levels were adequate for the needs of residents across the 76-bed nursing and dementia home. The published summary does not include specific detail on medicines management, falls monitoring, or infection control practices, though these are assessed as part of the Safe domain. The improvement from the earlier rating indicates that previous safety concerns have been addressed to the inspector's satisfaction.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Safety is the foundation of everything, and the improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in this domain is genuinely reassuring. However, a Good rating for a 76-bed nursing home specialising in dementia tells you the threshold was met, not how comfortably. Good Practice research consistently identifies night-time as the period where safety is most vulnerable, particularly for people with dementia who may be more unsettled after dark. Staffing levels can look adequate on paper and feel very different in a busy corridor at 2am. The inspection did not publish specific night staffing numbers, so this is something to check yourself before making a decision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that night staffing ratios are one of the most reliable predictors of safety incidents in care homes, with under-staffed night shifts linked to delayed responses to falls and increased use of agency cover.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency names appear on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is on the dementia unit overnight."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Effectiveness at the August 2023 inspection. This domain covers care planning, dementia training, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well staff translate knowledge into practice. The home is registered as a specialist in both dementia care and nursing, meaning inspectors would have looked for evidence of appropriate clinical competence. The published summary does not include specific detail on care plan content, GP access arrangements, or training records, though the Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied across these areas.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating for a dementia nursing home means inspectors found that staff understood what your parent needs and had the tools and training to act on that understanding. Our family review data shows that healthcare access (20.2% of positive reviews) and food quality (20.9%) are both meaningful signals families notice quickly. Dementia-specific training is not a box-ticking exercise in a good home; it shapes how a carer interprets distress, manages a difficult mealtime, or adjusts their pace for someone who needs longer to respond. The inspection did not publish specific training content or care plan examples, so you will need to ask directly about what dementia training looks like in practice here.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that care plans function as living documents in high-quality homes, reviewed regularly with family input, rather than as static records completed at admission. Homes where families are routinely included in reviews show better person-centred outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask to see a blank copy of the care plan template and ask how often it is formally reviewed. Then ask whether families are invited to those reviews, or whether they are told about changes after the fact."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Winifred Dell Care Home was rated Good for Caring at the August 2023 inspection. This domain requires inspectors to find direct evidence that staff treat residents with kindness, dignity, and respect, and that residents feel valued as individuals. A Good Caring rating for a dementia specialist home means inspectors were satisfied that staff interacted positively with residents during the inspection visit. The published summary does not include specific observed interactions, resident quotes, or relative feedback, which limits the detail available here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of satisfaction in our family review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassionate, dignified treatment is mentioned in 55.2%. These are not abstract values; they show up in whether a carer knocks before entering a room, whether they use the name your parent prefers, and whether they sit at eye level rather than talking from a standing position. The Good Caring rating tells you inspectors saw enough of this to be satisfied. The absence of specific quotes or observed examples in the published text means you should look for these things yourself when you visit, because they are the most reliable indicators of whether the culture is genuine.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and physical positioning, matters as much as verbal interaction for people living with dementia, and that person-centred care depends on staff knowing the individual rather than following a generic script.","watch_out":"When you arrive for a visit, notice whether staff greet your parent by name and whether the interaction feels unhurried. If your parent is not with you, ask a carer what your parent's preferred name is and watch whether they know the answer without checking a file."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Responsiveness at the August 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether residents have a life with meaning, including activities, individual engagement, family involvement, and end-of-life planning. Winifred Dell specialises in dementia care, so inspectors would have looked for evidence that activities are tailored to individual abilities and interests rather than being generic group sessions. The published summary does not describe specific activities, visiting arrangements, or end-of-life practices, though the Good rating indicates these were judged satisfactory.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that resident happiness (27.1% of positive reviews) and activities (21.4%) are both important signals families notice early. For someone living with dementia, especially in later stages, the quality of individual engagement matters far more than a busy activities calendar on the wall. Good Practice evidence points to tailored one-to-one activities and household-type tasks, such as folding, gardening, or simple cooking preparation, as being more meaningful than organised group entertainment for many people with dementia. The inspection did not confirm whether Winifred Dell offers this kind of individual engagement, so this is a specific question worth raising.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that Montessori-based and task-based individual activities produce measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with moderate to advanced dementia than group activity programmes alone, because they connect to familiar routines and preserved procedural memory.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator what happens for a resident who cannot join a group session, either because they are in their room, because they are distressed, or because group settings overwhelm them. Ask for a specific recent example, not a description of policy."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Winifred Dell Care Home was rated Good for Well-led at the August 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. The registered manager is Mrs Linda Jane Hatton and the nominated individual is Mrs Sam Manning. The improvement across all five domains from the previous inspection cycle indicates that the leadership team has driven meaningful change and that governance systems are now functioning at the level inspectors expect. The published summary does not include detail on manager visibility, staff culture, or how the home handles complaints and feedback.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research is clear that the quality of leadership is the single strongest predictor of a home's trajectory over time. A manager who is visible on the floor, known by name to staff and residents, and who creates an environment where staff feel safe to raise concerns, produces better outcomes at every level. The fact that this home has moved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five domains is a positive leadership signal. Our family review data shows that management and communication with families (23.4% and 11.5% of positive reviews respectively) are areas families notice and value. What the published text cannot tell you is whether the improvements are embedded or whether they were driven by a recent change in personnel.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes. Homes where the registered manager has been in post for more than two years and where staff report feeling empowered to speak up show consistently better outcomes in subsequent inspections.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether there have been significant changes in senior or nursing staff in the past 12 months. A home that improved under one manager may be in transition if that person has recently left."}

  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 specialises in dementia care alongside general support for over-65s. Their person-centred approach means they work with each resident's specific needs and preferences.. Gaps or open questions remain on Their dementia care goes beyond managing symptoms to truly engaging with each person. Staff take time to understand individual histories and preferences, creating moments of connection that families find deeply reassuring. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.