Clifford House
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Residential homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds21
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia
- Last inspected2019-06-15
- 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 5 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth55
- Compassion & dignity60
- Cleanliness55
- Activities & engagement50
- Food quality50
- Healthcare50
- Management & leadership65
- Resident happiness55
What inspectors found
Inspected 2019-06-15 · Report published 2019-06-15 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The Safe domain was rated Requires Improvement at the January 2021 inspection. This is the only domain that did not reach a Good rating. The published summary does not describe the specific concerns that led to this rating. The home is registered and continues to operate, and no enforcement action is recorded in the available information. The inspection took place in January 2021, so conditions may have changed since then.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Safe is the finding that should weigh most heavily in your decision. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing is where safety most often slips in small care homes, and that reliance on agency staff can undermine the consistency your parent with dementia depends on. Our family review data shows that safe environment and staff attentiveness together feature in nearly 26% of the concerns families raise. Because the published text does not explain what the specific safety issues were, you cannot assume they have been resolved without asking directly. This is not a reason to rule the home out, but it is a reason to ask very precise questions before you decide.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that learning from incidents is one of the clearest markers separating good-practice homes from those that stagnate. Ask the manager to describe a recent incident, how it was investigated, and what changed as a result.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to explain exactly what the Requires Improvement finding in Safe related to and what specific actions were taken to address it. Then ask to see the staffing rota for last week, not the template, and count the number of permanent versus agency names on night shifts."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and food. The published summary does not include specific observations about any of these areas. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered whether staff training and care planning were appropriate for residents living with dementia. No concerns were flagged in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is reassuring, but the lack of published detail means you cannot know from this report alone how strong the care planning really is. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care features in roughly 13% of what families care about most, and that food quality is cited in over 20% of positive reviews. Neither is described here. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents, reviewed with families regularly, not filed away after admission. Ask to see an anonymised example of a care plan and ask how often reviews happen and whether families are involved.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies regular, family-inclusive care plan reviews as a key indicator of person-led care. Homes that treat the care plan as a starting point rather than a completed task tend to respond better when a resident's needs change.","watch_out":"Ask the manager when care plans are reviewed, who is involved in the review, and whether families are invited to contribute. Then ask what dementia-specific training staff have completed in the last 12 months and who delivers it."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. This domain covers how staff treat residents, whether dignity and privacy are respected, and whether people are supported to be as independent as possible. The published summary does not include direct quotes from residents or relatives, nor does it describe specific interactions observed by inspectors. No concerns were raised in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity together feature in 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring suggests inspectors did not find problems in this area, but the absence of specific evidence means you cannot rely on the report alone to judge what daily life feels like for your parent. Non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people with dementia, and the best signal of genuine warmth is what you observe in unscripted moments during a visit. Watch how staff greet residents in corridors, not just when you are being shown around.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that person-led care depends on staff knowing the individual: their preferred name, their history, what unsettles them, and what brings them comfort. Homes that invest in this knowledge tend to show it in unhurried, personalised interactions rather than task-focused routines.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted, whether they make eye contact and pause to listen, and whether anyone appears rushed or distracted. These unscripted moments tell you more than any planned tour."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. This domain covers whether the home responds to individual needs and preferences, provides meaningful activities, and plans appropriately for end of life. The published summary does not describe the activities programme, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning. No concerns were raised in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness together account for nearly 50% of what drives positive family reviews in our data. A Good rating in Responsive is encouraging, but for a 21-bed home where some residents will have advanced dementia, the quality of individual engagement matters as much as group activities. Good Practice evidence is clear that tailored one-to-one activities, including everyday household tasks and familiar routines, are more beneficial for people with advanced dementia than group-only programmes. Ask specifically what happens on a quiet Tuesday afternoon for a resident who cannot join a group session.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday-task approaches, rather than structured group activities alone, produce measurable improvements in wellbeing and reduce distress for people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what individual engagement looks like for a resident who is no longer able to join group sessions. Ask to see last week's actual activity record for one resident, not the planned schedule."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. The home is run by Mr Roopesh Ramful and Miss Carol Ann Hardy as registered providers, with Mr Roopesh Kumar Ramful named as the registered manager. A named, consistent manager is a positive sign for a small home. The published summary does not describe the management culture, staff feedback mechanisms, or governance processes in any specific detail. No concerns were raised in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in a care home. Knowing that a named manager is in post is a starting point, but what matters for your parent is whether that manager is visible on the floor, known to residents by name, and genuinely accessible to families. Our review data shows that management and communication with families together feature in about 35% of what families prioritise. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good overall suggests the management has made real progress, but given how long ago the inspection was, it is worth asking directly what has changed since 2021.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies bottom-up empowerment, staff who feel able to raise concerns without fear, as a key cultural marker in well-led homes. Ask staff, not just the manager, whether they feel listened to.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post, whether there have been significant staffing changes in the last year, and how they communicate with families when something goes wrong. Then, if you can, have a brief informal conversation with a care worker away from the manager to get a sense of the culture."}
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 residential care for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the team pays attention to maintaining routines and personal care standards. Regular hairdressing visits help residents feel like themselves. — 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
Clifford House scores in the mid-range because the published inspection text provides very limited specific detail across most themes. The home has improved from Requires Improvement to Good overall, which is encouraging, but the continued Requires Improvement rating in Safe means families should ask direct questions before deciding.
Homes in South East typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
Clifford House Residential Care Home in Andover was rated Good overall at its inspection in January 2021, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. That improvement across four of the five inspection domains, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led, is a meaningful step in the right direction for a small 21-bed home specialising in dementia care and care for older adults. However, the Safe domain was still rated Requires Improvement at that inspection, and the published report provides very little specific detail about what inspectors actually observed or heard. The last full inspection was in January 2021, which means the findings are now several years old. Before visiting, prepare specific questions about what the safety concerns were, whether they have been resolved, and what staffing looks like today, particularly on nights. Walk through the home with your own eyes and trust what you see.
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In Their Own Words
How Clifford House describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Thoughtful touches that help families through respite stays
Clifford House Residential Care Home – Your Trusted residential home
When you're caring for someone with dementia, those few days of respite can feel complicated — relief mixed with worry. Clifford House Residential Care Home in Andover seems to understand this balance. The team here focuses on the details that matter when your loved one stays for a break.
Who they care for
The home provides residential care for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those living with dementia.
For residents with dementia, the team pays attention to maintaining routines and personal care standards. Regular hairdressing visits help residents feel like themselves.
Management & ethos
What stands out is how the staff stay connected with families. They'll send you photos and little video clips during your loved one's stay — not because you've asked, but because they know you're thinking about them. It's these unprompted updates that help ease the worry.
“Sometimes it's the smallest gestures — a smile at drop-off, looking well-groomed at collection — that tell you what you need to know.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
