Ashburton House Care Home

What families say

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth70
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality55
• Healthcare58
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-07-13 · Report published 2023-07-13 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"Safety was the only domain rated Requires Improvement at the March 2023 inspection. This means inspectors found at least one area where practice fell below the standard required to keep people consistently protected. The published summary does not specify whether the concern related to medicines, staffing, falls management, infection control, or another safety area. The home has moved up from a previous Inadequate rating overall, which suggests progress has been made, but safety remains the area that needs most scrutiny. Families should treat this rating as a prompt to ask direct questions rather than as evidence that the home is unsafe.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement safety rating does not automatically mean your parent would be at risk, but it does mean inspectors found something that needed to change. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in smaller residential homes, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency that people with dementia need. Because the published report does not tell us where the safety gap was, you cannot rely on the inspection alone to answer this question. Ask the manager directly: what did inspectors flag, what was done about it, and what do the staffing rotas look like on a weeknight after 9pm?","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that continuity of staff, particularly on night shifts, is one of the strongest predictors of safety outcomes for people with dementia. Homes with high agency use or thin night staffing showed higher rates of unwitnessed falls and delayed response to deterioration.","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 names appear on night shifts, and ask which specific safety issue the inspection identified and what evidence they can show you that it has been resolved."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans are up to date and personalised, whether residents get regular GP and health professional input, and whether food and hydration needs are properly managed. A Good rating here suggests inspectors were satisfied that the basic framework of effective care was in place. Ashburton House lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have looked at whether staff understand dementia-specific needs. The published summary does not include specific examples of care plan content, training records, or health monitoring detail.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating gives some reassurance that your parent's care plan is likely to be in place and that staff have received training relevant to dementia and physical disability. Our review data shows that families rate healthcare access (20.2% weighting) and dementia-specific care (12.7%) among their most important concerns. The evidence base is clear that care plans work best when they are reviewed regularly with input from the person themselves and their family. Because the inspection did not record specific detail on how often plans are reviewed or whether families are included, this is worth asking about before you commit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans function as living documents only when they are updated in response to real change, reviewed at least every three months, and written with direct input from the person with dementia and their family. Homes where plans were rarely updated showed poorer outcomes even when initial assessments were thorough.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often your parent's care plan would be formally reviewed, who attends that review, and whether you as a family member would be invited to contribute. Ask to see a sample (anonymised) plan so you can judge how personal and detailed it actually is."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Caring was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. This is the domain that most directly reflects whether staff are kind, whether your parent's dignity and privacy are respected, and whether they are treated as an individual rather than a task to be completed. A Good rating here means inspectors were satisfied that care interactions met this standard. No direct quotes from residents or relatives are included in the published summary, and no specific observations about staff interactions are described in the available text.","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 Caring rating is an encouraging signal, but because the published report contains no specific examples of what kindness looked like in practice here, it is worth observing this for yourself. Good Practice research shows that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication (tone, pace, touch, eye contact) matters as much as words. Watch whether staff slow down to make eye contact with residents, whether they use preferred names, and whether anyone is left sitting alone without acknowledgement for long periods.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that person-led caring requires staff to know each individual's history, preferences, and communication style. Homes where staff could describe residents as people (not just by their care needs) showed consistently higher ratings for dignity and independence.","watch_out":"When you visit, listen for whether staff use your parent's preferred name (not just their first name or a generic term like 'love'). Observe whether a staff member stops to talk unhurriedly with a resident in a corridor, or whether interactions are brief and task-focused."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors daily life to individual preferences, whether activities are meaningful and accessible, and whether complaints and end-of-life wishes are handled well. Ashburton House has 29 beds and specialisms covering dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which means the activity offer needs to reach people with varied abilities. The published summary does not describe what specific activities are available, how often they run, or whether one-to-one engagement is offered to residents who cannot join group sessions.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness together account for nearly half of the themes families highlight in positive reviews (21.4% and 27.1% respectively). A Good Responsive rating is positive, but for a parent with advanced dementia or a physical disability, the question is not whether activities exist but whether they are genuinely accessible. Good Practice research points to individual, task-based engagement (folding, sorting, simple cooking preparation) as particularly effective for people who struggle with group settings. With 29 residents and mixed needs, ask whether there is a dedicated activity coordinator and what happens on a day when that person is off.","evidence_base":"The IFF and Leeds Beckett review found that Montessori-based and everyday task-based approaches, rather than scheduled group entertainment, produced the greatest reduction in agitation and the greatest increase in observed contentment for people with moderate to severe dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity timetable from the past two weeks, then ask what happened on a day when the activity coordinator was absent or the scheduled activity was cancelled. Ask specifically what one-to-one engagement is available for a resident who cannot join a group."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. The registered manager, Mr Dale Kiely, is also the nominated individual for the provider, which means he carries both operational and regulatory responsibility for the home. A Good Well-led rating indicates that inspectors found governance systems, staff support structures, and a culture of accountability to be in place. The improvement from a previous Inadequate rating across the whole home is a significant signal that leadership has driven meaningful change. The published summary does not include specific examples of how the manager engages with residents or staff, or what quality monitoring processes are in place.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in care homes, according to the Good Practice evidence base. The fact that this home has moved from Inadequate to Good suggests that the current manager has made a real difference. Our review data shows that 23.4% of positive family reviews mention management and leadership directly, often noting that a visible, approachable manager makes families feel informed and confident. Because the same person holds the registered manager and nominated individual roles, ask how decisions are escalated if there is a concern about his own practice, and who provides independent oversight.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett review found that homes where the registered manager was visible on the floor, known by name to residents and families, and empowered staff to raise concerns without fear, consistently outperformed homes where management was office-based or frequently absent.","watch_out":"Ask how long Mr Kiely has been in post, whether he is present on a typical weekday and at weekends, and how families can contact him directly if they have a concern. Also ask what independent oversight exists above the registered manager level, given that he is also the nominated individual."}

  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 here supports residents with various needs including dementia care, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They provide residential care specifically for adults aged 65 and over.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, Ashburton House offers specialist care within their residential setting. The home has experience supporting people at different stages of their dementia journey. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.