Crossways Nursing Home

What families say

Based on 3 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness68
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality55
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership88
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-12-03 · Report published 2021-12-03

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the September 2021 inspection. This means inspectors were satisfied that risks were identified and managed, medicines were handled appropriately, and staffing was considered sufficient. Infection control and safeguarding procedures were in place. No significant safety concerns were recorded in the available report text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating means inspectors found no major concerns about how your parent would be protected at Crossways. However, safety is an area where the detail matters enormously u2014 and the available report text doesn't give us specific numbers on staffing ratios, falls rates, or how incidents are logged and acted on. Good Practice research is clear that safety most often slips at night and during staff handovers, so the questions you ask on a visit are as important as the rating itself. Our family review data shows that 14% of families specifically mention staff attentiveness as a key factor in feeling their parent is safe u2014 so watch how staff respond to residents during your visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels are disproportionately associated with safety incidents, and that homes relying heavily on agency staff show less consistent safety practice due to reduced familiarity with individual residents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'How many staff are on duty overnight, and are any of them registered nurses? How do you ensure continuity when agency staff are used?'"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good. This covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access, and nutrition. As a nursing home with a dementia specialism, the home is expected to demonstrate specific competence in dementia care approaches and regular health monitoring. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with these arrangements, though the available report text does not detail specific training programmes, GP access arrangements, or care plan practices.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, a Good Effective rating means the home should have trained staff, up-to-date care plans, and proper access to GPs and other health professionals. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which means you have a right to ask detailed questions about what that actually looks like in practice u2014 not just what training staff have completed, but how that training changes how they respond to your parent on a difficult day. Our family review data shows that 12.7% of families specifically mention dementia-specific care as a key concern. Good Practice evidence emphasises that care plans should be living documents, reviewed with families, not paperwork filed away.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as 'living documents' that should be reviewed with family input at regular intervals, and highlights that homes with strong dementia training show measurably better outcomes for residents with behavioural and psychological symptoms.","watch_out":"Ask to see how often care plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute. Specifically ask: 'If my parent's dementia progresses and their needs change, how quickly would the care plan be updated, and who would tell me?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good. This domain covers how staff treat residents u2014 their warmth, respect for dignity, and how they support independence. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the overall quality of interactions between staff and residents. The available report text does not include direct quotes from residents or families, or specific observations of staff interactions, which limits our ability to give a richer picture of what day-to-day care feels like.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The Good Caring rating is reassuring, but for families choosing a dementia care home, the feel of a place is something only a visit can tell you. Our family review data shows that staff warmth (57.3%) and compassion and dignity (55.2%) are the two most important factors families mention when recommending a care home u2014 far above any other theme. Good Practice research reminds us that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 a calm tone, an unhurried pace, eye contact u2014 matters as much as what is said. When you visit, pay attention to how staff address your parent by name, and whether they crouch down to speak at eye level.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-centred care requires genuine knowledge of the individual u2014 their history, preferences, and communication style u2014 and that staff who take time to learn this provide measurably better emotional outcomes for people with dementia.","watch_out":"During your visit, observe what happens in a corridor when a resident appears confused or distressed u2014 do staff stop and engage calmly, or do they redirect quickly and move on? This is one of the most reliable real-world indicators of caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good. This covers whether the home tailors its care to individual needs, provides meaningful activities, and responds to complaints and end-of-life wishes. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with these arrangements. As with other domains, the available report text does not detail the specific activities programme, how one-to-one engagement is provided, or how the home handles complaints and end-of-life planning.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, responsiveness means the difference between having a life at this home and simply being kept safe. Our family review data shows that resident happiness and engagement (27.1%) and activities (21.4%) are among the top concerns families raise. Good Practice research is particularly clear that for people with dementia, group activities are not enough u2014 one-to-one engagement, and activities connected to a person's history and interests (such as familiar household tasks or music from their era), are what genuinely support wellbeing. Ask specifically what happens on a day when your parent doesn't want to join a group session.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches u2014 including everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, and gardening u2014 produce stronger engagement and reduced agitation in people with dementia compared to standard group activity programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: 'If my parent has a day where they don't want to come to a group activity, what would they be doing? Who would spend time with them one-to-one, and for how long?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Outstanding u2014 the highest possible rating, awarded to fewer than 5% of care homes in England. This indicates that inspectors found exceptional leadership, a strong and open culture, robust governance, and a genuine commitment to continuous improvement. Ms Sarah Stacey is the Registered Manager and Mr Sean Hurden is the Nominated Individual. The Outstanding rating was confirmed as still appropriate in a monitoring review in July 2023.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding for leadership is genuinely significant and relatively rare. For your parent, it means the home is run by people who inspectors believe go beyond compliance u2014 they actively seek to improve, they support staff to speak up, and they hold themselves accountable. Our family review data shows that management quality (23.4%) and communication with families (11.5%) are both important to families, and strong leadership is the foundation of both. Good Practice research consistently shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory u2014 homes with settled, capable managers tend to sustain and improve their standards over time.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review identifies leadership stability as a key predictor of care quality, noting that homes with high management turnover show greater variability in outcomes, while homes with empowered, bottom-up staff cultures are more likely to identify and address problems early.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current manager has been in post and whether they are present in the home regularly during the day. Also ask: 'How do you communicate with families when something goes wrong, and can you give me an example of something you changed as a result of a family complaint?'"}

  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 at Crossways provides nursing care for adults over 65, with particular experience supporting people living with dementia. They also care for younger adults who need nursing support.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, Crossways offers specialist nursing care tailored to individual needs. The home has experience supporting people at different stages of their dementia journey. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.