Cherryfield House

What families say

Families describe a warm reception when first arriving, with staff creating a welcoming environment for new residents. The home arranges entertainment and seasonal events, bringing in visiting performers to keep life interesting for everyone living there.

Based on 9 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2024-02-28 · Report published 2024-02-28 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Cherryfield House was rated Good for Safe at its December 2023 inspection, having previously held a Requires Improvement rating in this domain. The published text does not include specific observations about staffing levels, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control. The improvement to Good indicates that inspectors were satisfied that previous concerns had been addressed. The home is registered for 29 beds, which is a relatively small size that can support consistent staffing, though this cannot be confirmed from the published findings alone.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A move from Requires Improvement to Good in Safe is genuinely encouraging, because it means inspectors returned and found that whatever had caused concern previously had been resolved. However, the published summary does not tell you what that previous concern was or what specifically changed, so it is worth asking the manager directly. Good Practice research identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in small homes. With 29 beds, the home should be able to tell you clearly how many staff are present overnight. Agency staff usage is another key question: consistent, familiar faces matter enormously for people with dementia, who can become distressed when cared for by people they do not recognise.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of poorer safety outcomes in dementia care, because continuity of staff is itself a form of safety for people who cannot always communicate distress verbally.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count permanent names against agency names, especially on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Cherryfield House was rated Good for Effective at its December 2023 inspection. This domain covers care planning, training, healthcare access, nutrition, and outcomes. The home lists dementia as a specialism alongside physical disabilities, which means staff should be trained across both areas. No specific detail about care plan content, GP access frequency, dementia training programmes, or food quality is included in the published findings. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating suggests that gaps identified earlier in training or care planning have been addressed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effective means inspectors were satisfied that staff have the knowledge and tools to care for your parent well. For a home that supports people with dementia, this should mean care plans that go beyond medical needs to capture who your parent is: their preferred name, their history, what comforts them, and what unsettles them. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans function as living documents, updated regularly and with family input, rather than paperwork completed on admission and rarely revisited. Food quality is also captured in this domain, and it is one of the clearest signals of genuine care: ask to see the menu and, if possible, join a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that regular, family-inclusive care plan reviews are associated with better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia, because families hold biographical knowledge that staff cannot replicate from formal assessments alone.","watch_out":"Ask how often care plans are formally reviewed, whether families are invited to contribute, and what specific dementia training staff have completed. Ask to see a sample daily activity log to check whether individual preferences are being recorded and acted upon."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Cherryfield House was rated Good for Caring at its December 2023 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. The published text does not include direct observations of staff interactions, resident testimony about how they feel treated, or specific examples of dignity-preserving practice. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with what they observed during the inspection visit. The home's previous Requires Improvement rating has been fully resolved across all domains including this one.","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%. These are the things families notice first on a visit and remember longest. Because the published inspection does not give us specific examples here, you will need to gather your own evidence. Watch how staff move through the building: do they stop and speak to residents they pass, or do they walk past? Do they use names? Are interactions unhurried? Good Practice research is clear that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, physical proximity, and pace, matters as much as words for people with dementia who may have lost much of their language.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that for people at a more advanced stage of dementia, staff who slow down, use gentle touch, and maintain eye contact produce measurably lower levels of agitation than those who complete tasks efficiently but without relational engagement.","watch_out":"During your visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes and observe how staff interact with residents who are not directly asking for help. Note whether your parent's preferred name is used and whether any interaction feels rushed."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Cherryfield House was rated Good for Responsive at its December 2023 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, responses to changing needs, and end-of-life care planning. No specific activities are described in the published findings, and no information about individual activity provision for residents who cannot join group sessions is included. The home supports adults with dementia and physical disabilities, which means activity provision needs to be adapted to a wide range of abilities and preferences. The improvement from Requires Improvement indicates that earlier concerns in this area have been addressed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities matter more than many families realise when choosing a home. Our review data shows that 21.4% of positive reviews specifically mention meaningful engagement, and the Good Practice evidence base consistently links purposeful daily activity to lower agitation and better mood in people with dementia. A Good rating here is positive, but a planned activity programme and what actually happens on a Tuesday afternoon can be very different things. The most important question is what happens for your parent if they cannot join a group session, whether because of mobility, cognition, or simply not wanting to on that day. One-to-one engagement is where many homes fall short, and it is rarely visible in inspection findings.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that individual, tailored activity, including everyday household tasks such as folding laundry or tending plants, is associated with significantly better wellbeing outcomes than group entertainment alone, particularly for people at a more advanced stage of dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity schedule for the past month, not just the planned one. Ask specifically what individual one-to-one engagement is available for residents who are unable to participate in group activities, and who is responsible for delivering it."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Cherryfield House was rated Good for Well-led at its December 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. The home is run by Cherryfield Homes Limited, with Mrs Samantha Waite as registered manager and Ms Fahreen Jivraj-Maguire as nominated individual. The improvement to Good across all five domains simultaneously suggests that the management team has taken a systematic approach to addressing earlier concerns rather than tackling issues in isolation. No specific detail about the manager's visibility, staff culture, governance processes, or complaint handling is included in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Our review data shows that 23.4% of positive family reviews mention management directly, and Good Practice research is consistent that homes where the manager is known by name to residents and families, and where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, perform better on every other quality measure. The fact that this home improved from Requires Improvement to Good across every domain at a single inspection suggests a manager who understood what needed to change and had the authority to make it happen. What you cannot know from the published findings is how long the current manager has been in post, and whether the culture change is embedded or still fragile.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that leadership stability, specifically a consistent registered manager in post for more than 12 months, is one of the most reliable predictors of sustained quality in small care homes, because it provides the continuity of expectations and relationships that underpins every other aspect of good care.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether they are present on the premises most days. Ask staff you meet informally whether they feel comfortable raising concerns with management, and observe whether the manager is visible and known to residents during your visit."}

  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 cares for adults under 65, those over 65, people living with dementia, and residents with physical disabilities. This mix means staff support people at different life stages with varying needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the team takes time to understand individual preferences and challenges. They adapt their approach based on each person's needs, particularly around mealtimes and daily routines. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.