Cherry Trees Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds66
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities
- Last inspected2023-08-18
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth90
- Compassion & dignity92
- Cleanliness72
- Activities & engagement72
- Food quality65
- Healthcare72
- Management & leadership78
- Resident happiness82
What inspectors found
Inspected 2023-08-18 · Report published 2023-08-18 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"Inspectors rated the safe domain Good at the August 2023 inspection. This indicates that risks to the people who live here were being managed appropriately, medicines were handled safely, and staffing was considered adequate at the time of the visit. The home provides nursing care, which means registered nurses are present, adding a clinical layer of oversight to day-to-day safety. No concerns or requirement notices relating to safety are recorded in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating tells you that inspectors did not find gaps serious enough to require improvement. For a nursing home caring for people living with dementia and physical disabilities, that baseline matters. However, our Good Practice evidence base highlights that night staffing is the point where safety most commonly slips in care homes, and the published findings do not record specific night-time staffing numbers for Cherry Trees. The 66-bed size means you should ask directly how many nurses and carers are on duty between 10pm and 7am. Agency staff reliance is another area that affects consistency of care, and this is not addressed in the published summary either.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that incident-learning culture and night staffing adequacy are stronger predictors of sustained safety than headline ratings alone. A Good rating confirms a baseline but does not tell you whether staffing levels hold steady at night.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you last week's actual staffing rota, not the template version. Count the number of permanent staff versus agency names, and check specifically how many nurses and carers are listed on the night shift for a home of this size."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"Inspectors rated the effective domain Good at the August 2023 inspection. For a home specialising in dementia and nursing care, a Good effectiveness rating indicates that care planning, staff training, and health monitoring were found to meet required standards. The home works with adults who have complex and changing needs, so effective care coordination with GPs and healthcare professionals is essential. The published summary does not include specific detail on care plan content, training programmes, or healthcare arrangements.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research consistently shows that care plans work best when they are treated as living documents, updated regularly and shaped by the person's own history, preferences, and changing condition. A Good rating here suggests Cherry Trees meets that standard, but the level of personalisation in your parent's individual plan is something you will only discover by asking to see one. Dementia training quality varies considerably between homes even where training is recorded as completed. When you visit, ask what form the dementia training takes and whether staff have covered non-verbal communication, which the evidence base identifies as particularly important for people who can no longer express needs in words.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that dementia-specific training covering non-verbal communication and person-centred approaches is associated with better outcomes for residents, but the content and depth of training varies significantly between homes holding the same rating.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed and who is involved in those reviews. Specifically ask whether families are invited to contribute, and request to see the section of the care plan that covers your parent's personal history, preferred name, daily routines, and comfort measures."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"Inspectors awarded Cherry Trees an Outstanding rating for caring at the August 2023 inspection, the highest rating available and given to a small proportion of homes nationally. This rating requires inspectors to find specific, compelling, and consistent evidence that staff treat residents with genuine warmth, dignity, and respect, going beyond what is simply expected. The published summary does not reproduce the detailed narrative from this section of the report, but the Outstanding rating itself is a strong and meaningful signal. The home cares for people living with dementia, a group for whom the quality of moment-to-moment human interaction has an outsized effect on wellbeing.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of positive family reviews in our data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity features in 55.2%. An Outstanding caring rating means inspectors saw something beyond routine compliance: the kind of unhurried, respectful, individually attentive interactions that families describe when they feel confident a home is right for their parent. For people living with dementia who may not be able to report their own experience, the quality of staff interaction becomes the primary indicator of wellbeing. This is the strongest signal in the Cherry Trees inspection and it deserves significant weight in your decision.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review highlights that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication from staff, including tone of voice, facial expression, and unhurried physical contact, has a direct effect on agitation levels and sense of security. An Outstanding caring rating suggests these interactions were observed to be consistently positive.","watch_out":"When you visit, spend time watching how staff interact with residents in communal areas without drawing attention to yourself. Notice whether staff make eye contact, use the resident's preferred name, crouch to their level if they are seated, and move without obvious hurry. These behaviours are the observable version of what inspectors rated Outstanding."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"Inspectors rated the responsive domain Good at the August 2023 inspection. For a home specialising in dementia care, responsiveness covers how well the home adapts its support to individual needs, whether activities are meaningful and accessible to people at different stages of dementia, and how end-of-life care is approached. A Good rating indicates these areas met required standards. The published summary does not include specific detail on the activity programme, individual engagement for people who cannot join groups, or end-of-life planning arrangements.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our review data shows that activities and engagement are mentioned in 21.4% of positive family reviews, but the nature of the feedback matters as much as the rating. Good Practice research identifies that group activities alone are insufficient for people with moderate to advanced dementia, who benefit most from one-to-one engagement and familiar everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, or simple food preparation. A Good responsiveness rating tells you the home meets the standard, but it does not tell you whether your parent, specifically, would have meaningful moments in their day. That requires a direct conversation with whoever leads activities at the home.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches, including familiar household tasks, produce measurable reductions in agitation and improvements in engagement for people living with dementia, compared with group-only programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident who cannot easily join group sessions. If the answer is vague or defaults to television, that tells you something important. Ask specifically how staff keep residents engaged during quieter periods and at weekends."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"Inspectors rated the well-led domain Good at the August 2023 inspection. The home has a named registered manager, Mrs Sharron Whaley, and a nominated individual, Mr Hayden Knight, both recorded in the published report. A Good well-led rating indicates that governance arrangements, oversight of quality, and staff culture were found to be functioning adequately at the time of inspection. The published summary does not include detail on manager tenure, staff turnover, or specific examples of quality improvement.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained care quality over time. A registered manager who has been in post for several years, knows residents and staff by name, and is visible on the floor rather than behind a desk is a better indicator of what your parent's day-to-day experience will be like than a rating on its own. The presence of both a registered manager and a nominated individual suggests a governance structure that goes beyond a single person. Communication with families is mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews in our data, and how proactively the manager keeps you informed about your parent's condition is something to test on your first visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where managers respond visibly and quickly to those concerns, consistently perform better on resident wellbeing measures than homes with similar ratings but weaker internal culture.","watch_out":"Ask Mrs Whaley directly how long she has been manager at Cherry Trees and what the biggest change she has made in the last 12 months has been. A manager who can answer both questions specifically, with examples, is a good sign. Also ask how she would contact you if your parent had a fall or a significant change in health overnight."}
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 welcomes residents over 65, including those living with dementia and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the team focuses on maintaining comfort and wellbeing. Families have noticed their relatives seem settled and well-cared for. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Cherry Trees scores strongly on the themes that matter most to families, particularly staff warmth and compassion, where inspectors awarded an Outstanding rating for caring. Scores in food, activities, and cleanliness reflect less specific detail in the published inspection findings rather than any identified concern.
Homes in Yorkshire & Humberside typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
Cherry Trees, on Simmonite Road in Rotherham, was rated Good overall at its most recent inspection in August 2023, with an Outstanding rating for caring, the highest rating available and one awarded to a small minority of care homes nationally. The home specialises in nursing care for adults over 65, including people living with dementia and those with physical disabilities, across 66 beds. Inspectors found sufficient evidence across safety, effectiveness, responsiveness, and leadership to rate all four remaining domains Good, with caring standing out as a particular strength. The published inspection summary does not include the detailed narrative that a full report would provide, so specific observations about staffing numbers, food quality, activity programmes, and night cover are not available here. The Outstanding caring rating is a meaningful and encouraging signal, but you should visit in person and ask the manager direct questions about the areas not covered in the published findings, particularly night staffing ratios, agency staff use, and how the home involves families in care planning.
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In Their Own Words
How Cherry Trees Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
A caring team that stays close when families need them most
Cherry Trees – Your Trusted nursing home
When families are facing difficult times, the support they receive makes all the difference. Cherry Trees in Rotherham provides care for older adults, including those living with dementia and physical disabilities. The care team here has shown real dedication when it matters most, staying in touch with families and ensuring residents feel comfortable.
Who they care for
The home welcomes residents over 65, including those living with dementia and physical disabilities.
For those living with dementia, the team focuses on maintaining comfort and wellbeing. Families have noticed their relatives seem settled and well-cared for.
Management & ethos
What stands out is how the team keeps families informed and involved. When residents need extra support, staff are quick to communicate and stay connected. This kind of attentiveness helps families feel reassured during challenging moments.
“Getting a feel for any care home takes time — why not arrange a visit to see if Cherry Trees could be the right fit?”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
