Ann Marie Howes Centre Birmingham

What families say

Visitors often comment on the warm reception they receive, with staff taking time to acknowledge everyone who comes through the doors. The atmosphere feels calm and welcoming, and families appreciate how emotionally invested many staff members become in residents' lives. Some have noted staff showing genuine distress when residents move on, suggesting real bonds form here.

Based on 48 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality55
• Healthcare45
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness65

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-04-28 · Report published 2021-04-28 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the March 2021 inspection. This indicates that inspectors were broadly satisfied with how the home managed risks, medicines, and staffing at that time. The published report summary does not contain specific observations, quotes, or detail about particular safety measures such as falls management, infection control practices, or night staffing ratios. The home supports a complex mix of residents, including people with dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions, which makes consistent safety practices especially important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safe is reassuring, but the absence of published detail means you cannot rely on the rating alone. Good Practice research from the IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University evidence review (61 studies, March 2026) identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in residential homes, and agency reliance as a key risk factor for inconsistency. Neither of these is addressed in the available inspection text. Given the home's diverse resident group, including people with dementia who may be at higher risk of falls or distress at night, these questions matter more than average. The inspection was conducted in 2021, so current safety practices may differ.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies that learning from incidents, such as falls, medication errors, and near misses, is one of the clearest markers of a genuinely safe home. Ask to see the home's incident log and what changes were made as a result.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from last week, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency staff are listed, and specifically ask how many carers are on duty overnight for the 32 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Requires Improvement at the March 2021 inspection. This is the only domain below Good and covers training, care planning, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well the home understands and responds to each person's individual needs. No specific detail about what inspectors found is available in the published summary. The home supports people with a wide range of complex needs, including dementia and learning disabilities, making effective practice in this domain especially critical. A review of the service's information was carried out in July 2023, and no evidence was found requiring a reassessment of the rating at that point.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Requires Improvement in Effective is the finding that should weigh most heavily in your decision. Our family review data shows that healthcare access (20.2% of positive reviews) and food quality (20.9%) are among the themes families care most about, and both sit within this domain. The Good Practice evidence base emphasises that care plans should function as living documents, updated regularly with family input, and that regular GP access is a basic standard. The inspection found something short of that standard in 2021. The home may have improved since then, but you need evidence of that, not reassurance.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University evidence review found that dementia training quality varies significantly between homes, and that generic training is often insufficient for staff supporting people with complex or advanced dementia. Ask specifically what dementia training staff have completed, who delivers it, and how recently the most recent training took place.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: what specific changes were made to improve the Effective rating after the 2021 inspection? Request to see a care plan (with permission) to check whether it includes the person's life history, preferred daily routines, and a recent review date with family sign-off."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the March 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with how staff treated residents at the time of the visit. No specific inspector observations, staff behaviours, or resident and family quotes are available in the published summary. The home supports people with a wide range of needs, including those with dementia, where non-verbal communication and unhurried interactions are particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring is a positive signal, but without specific published observations you cannot be certain what inspectors saw. Good Practice research highlights that for people living with dementia, non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal, and that knowing a person's individual history is what enables genuinely kind care rather than routine care. On your visit, watch how staff speak to your parent and whether they use their preferred name without being prompted.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base found that person-led care, where staff know and respond to individual histories, preferences, and communication styles, produces measurably better wellbeing outcomes than task-focused care, even when both are technically compliant.","watch_out":"When you visit, notice whether staff address your parent by their preferred name without being prompted, whether interactions feel unhurried, and whether any staff member is sitting with a resident for no reason other than company. These are the observable signs of genuine warmth that ratings alone cannot confirm."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the March 2021 inspection. This domain covers activities, engagement, individualised care, complaints handling, and end-of-life support. A Good rating suggests inspectors were broadly satisfied with how the home responded to residents as individuals. No specific detail about the activities programme, complaint responses, or end-of-life planning is available in the published summary. The home's wide range of specialisms means residents have very different levels of ability and engagement, which makes tailored, individual responsiveness especially important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness for 27.1%. A Good rating in Responsive is encouraging, but our family review data shows that the gap between planned and actual activities is one of the most common sources of disappointment. Good Practice research emphasises that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with advanced dementia or limited mobility, and that one-to-one engagement is often what makes the real difference to daily quality of life. This is not covered in the published inspection text, so you need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and familiar household tasks, such as folding laundry or tending plants, support dignity and engagement for people with dementia more effectively than purely social or entertainment-based group activities.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records from the past four weeks, not just the schedule. Check whether any sessions are recorded as one-to-one, and ask what happens for a resident who cannot leave their room or who does not want to join a group."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-Led domain was rated Good at the March 2021 inspection. The home is run by Birmingham City Council, with a named registered manager (Mr Delroy Bonnitto) and a nominated individual (Mrs Shazia Hanif). A Good rating in this domain suggests inspectors found governance systems, accountability, and a positive culture to be broadly in order. No specific observations about management visibility, staff support structures, or incident learning are available in the published summary. The inspection was carried out in 2021, so leadership continuity since then is not confirmed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive family reviews, and communication with families for 11.5%. Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality: homes where the manager changes frequently tend to show decline in multiple domains over time. A Good rating here is positive, but the home's history of a previous Requires Improvement rating means the quality of leadership during that earlier period is relevant context. Ask how long the current manager has been in post and whether the same person is still registered.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base found that homes where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear of blame consistently outperform those with top-down management cultures, particularly in safety and care quality indicators.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post and what they are most proud of changing since the previous Requires Improvement rating. Also ask: if a care worker had a concern about a resident, how would they raise it, and can you give me a recent example of when that happened?"}

  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 centre supports adults with a wide range of needs including dementia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They welcome both younger adults under 65 and older residents, adapting their approach to each person's specific requirements.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the centre provides specialist care within a structured, familiar environment. Staff work to understand each person's individual needs and preferences, creating routines that help residents feel secure and supported. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.