Bishopsteignton House

What families say

Families describe watching their relatives settle into the community here, forming new friendships and joining in activities. The management team works to support families through the admission process, helping residents find their place in the home's social life.

Based on 12 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 & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-07-07 · Report published 2022-07-07 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the May 2022 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The published report does not include specific inspector observations, staffing ratios, or detail on how falls or medication errors are recorded and reviewed. No concerns were raised in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety is reassuring, but the inspection findings here are thin on specifics. Our Good Practice evidence base flags that night staffing is where safety most often slips in smaller homes: for a 27-bed home, you want to know exactly how many staff are on overnight and whether a senior is always present. Agency reliance is a second risk factor: staff who do not know your parent cannot respond to early signs of distress or deterioration. The inspection did not record detail on either point, so these are questions you need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that learning from incidents is one of the most reliable markers of a safety culture. Ask to see how the home logs falls and what changes were made after the last serious incident.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for a recent week, not the template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency workers covered night shifts, and ask what the minimum overnight staffing level is for 27 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the May 2022 inspection. This domain covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access including GP and specialist input, and food and nutritional care. The published report does not include specific detail on any of these areas. Dementia is listed as a specialism, meaning the home is expected to demonstrate dementia-specific knowledge and practice, but no training content or care plan examples are described.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in dementia care is not just about having a plan on file: it is about whether that plan reflects who your parent actually is, what they find comforting, what upsets them, and what they can still do independently. Our Good Practice evidence base found that care plans used as living documents, updated after every significant change and involving family members, are associated with better outcomes. The inspection did not verify whether this is happening here. Food quality is also a marker families consistently flag: 20.9% of our positive review data mentions it specifically. Ask to eat a meal with your parent before committing.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training content, not just basic care training, significantly affects the quality of daily interactions. Ask what dementia training all staff complete, including kitchen and domestic staff, and when it was last updated.","watch_out":"Ask how often care plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to that review. Then ask to see a sample of how a person's individual preferences, preferred name, daily routine, and what helps when they are anxious, are recorded and shared with agency or new staff."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the May 2022 inspection. This is the domain most directly linked to how staff treat your parent day to day: whether they are warm, unhurried, respectful of privacy, and genuinely know the person they are supporting. The published report contains no direct observations of staff interactions, no resident or relative quotes, and no specific examples of dignity in practice. The rating itself is positive, but there is no inspection evidence to describe in specific terms.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data: 57.3% of positive reviews mention it by name, and compassion and dignity account for another 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities; they show up in observable behaviours. Does the carer knock before entering a room? Do they use your mum's preferred name rather than a generic term of endearment? Do they sit at eye level when speaking to her? The inspection did not record whether these things are happening at Bishopsteignton House, which means your visit is the evidence-gathering opportunity. Come unannounced if you can, or at a quieter time of day when the pace of care is more visible.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review highlights that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal communication for people living with dementia. A carer who moves calmly, makes eye contact, and waits for a response is demonstrating skill that goes beyond any training certificate.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas when they think no one is observing. Are interactions warm and unhurried, or functional and brief? Notice whether staff use the person's preferred name and whether they move at the person's pace."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the May 2022 inspection. This covers how well the home tailors its support to individual needs, including activities, engagement, and end-of-life care. The published report contains no description of the activity programme, no examples of individual engagement, and no detail on how the home supports people with advanced dementia who cannot participate in group activities. No concerns were raised.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness accounts for 27.1% of positive family review data, and activities account for a further 21.4%. These are not luxury concerns: meaningful engagement, whether that is a shared meal, a familiar song, or a simple task like folding, is a genuine quality-of-life factor for people living with dementia. Our Good Practice evidence base is clear that group activities alone are not enough; one-to-one engagement is essential for people who are less mobile or more advanced in their dementia. The inspection did not verify whether Bishopsteignton House provides this. Ask directly, and ask what happens on a weekend when staffing is typically leaner.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks, folding, sorting, simple food preparation, provide continuity of identity and reduce distress for people with dementia. Ask whether the home uses any structured approaches of this kind rather than relying solely on organised group sessions.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity schedule for the past two weeks, not a printed template. Then ask what one-to-one activity or engagement happened last week for someone who is bedbound or unable to join group sessions, and who provided it."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the May 2022 inspection. A named registered manager, Mrs Donna Marie Waldron, and a nominated individual, Mr Paul David Nery, are recorded as being in post. This inspection was the home's third, suggesting an established track record of registration. The published report contains no detail on management culture, staff feedback mechanisms, governance processes, or how the home handles complaints. No concerns were raised.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our Good Practice evidence base finds that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. A home where the manager is visible, known to residents and staff by name, and has been in post long enough to build a consistent team, tends to maintain standards more reliably than one where leadership changes frequently. The inspection confirmed a manager is in post but did not describe her visibility or tenure. Communication with families accounts for 11.5% of our positive review data: ask how the home contacts you when something changes for your parent and whether there is a named keyworker who knows your parent well.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that staff who feel able to speak up about concerns without fear of consequences are a strong indicator of a healthy leadership culture. Ask the manager how staff raise concerns and whether there have been any whistleblowing disclosures in the past year.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long she has been in post and how many of the current care staff have been there for more than a year. High turnover, even in a Good-rated home, means your parent is regularly meeting unfamiliar faces, which is particularly disorienting for someone living with dementia."}

  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 provides dementia care alongside support for physical disabilities and general care for over-65s.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the team works to maintain familiar routines and preferences, helping residents feel settled in their environment. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.