Dalemead Care Home

What families say

Families visiting Dalemead notice how staff help residents keep up the routines that matter — whether that's regular hairdressing appointments or joining in with entertainment when they feel like it. The care teams seem to understand what makes each person feel most themselves.

Based on 8 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth82
• Compassion & dignity82
• Cleanliness75
• Activities & engagement88
• Food quality70
• Healthcare75
• Management & leadership78
• Resident happiness75

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-11-19 · Report published 2019-11-19 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the April 2025 inspection. This indicates that inspectors found medicines management, staffing levels, infection control, and safeguarding arrangements to be satisfactory. No specific concerns were raised in the published findings. However, the published summary does not include specific staffing ratios, agency usage figures, or examples of how incidents are logged and acted upon.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety means inspectors did not find the kind of gaps that would put your parent at risk, but Good is not the same as exceptional, and the lack of published detail means you cannot judge from this report alone how safe the home feels in practice. Good Practice research consistently highlights that night staffing is where safety most commonly slips in residential care homes. Our review data shows that staff attentiveness is mentioned in 14% of positive family reviews, which tells you that families notice and remember when staff are alert and present. The absence of any recorded concerns here is reassuring, but ask specifically about overnight cover before making a decision.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice in Dementia Care evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) identifies night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance as two of the most significant predictors of safety risk in dementia care settings. Neither figure is available in this published report.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Note how many shifts were covered by agency staff, particularly on nights, and ask what the minimum number of staff on duty overnight is for the 49 beds."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the April 2025 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, nutrition, hydration, and access to healthcare. A Good rating indicates that these areas were found to meet required standards. No specific detail about dementia training content, care plan quality, GP access frequency, or food provision is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia care home is about whether staff actually know your parent as an individual and whether the care plan is a living document or a form that sits in a folder. Our review data shows that food quality features in 20.9% of weighted family satisfaction scores, which reflects how closely families associate good meals with genuine care. The Good Practice evidence base identifies regular GP access and dementia-specific training as the two most important markers of effective care for people with cognitive impairment. The Good rating here is a baseline assurance, but the published findings do not tell you how detailed the care plans are or how often they are reviewed with your family.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base notes that care plans function best as regularly updated, family-inclusive documents rather than static assessments. Homes that review care plans at least monthly and involve families in that process consistently show better outcomes for people with dementia.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask to see a sample care plan (with personal details removed) and ask how recently it was last reviewed. Ask whether families are contacted after each review and whether the GP visits the home on a regular scheduled basis or only when called."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the April 2025 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether your parent's independence is supported. A Good rating means inspectors found these qualities present to a satisfactory standard. No specific inspector observations, such as staff using preferred names or responding without hurry, are recorded in the published summary, and no resident or family quotes are included.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity together account for 55.2%. These are not soft extras: they are the core of what makes dementia care bearable for your parent and for you. The Good rating here tells you that inspectors did not find the kind of dismissive or task-focused interactions that would flag concern, but it does not confirm the kind of warm, unhurried, personalised care that the highest-scoring homes demonstrate. The Good Practice evidence base notes that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people living with dementia, especially as language becomes more difficult. Watch for this on your visit.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies that person-led care requires staff to know each individual's history, preferences, and communication style. Homes where staff can describe a resident's life history, favourite music, and preferred daily routine consistently score higher on dignity and wellbeing measures.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff address your parent by his or her preferred name without being prompted, and whether any staff member can tell you something specific about your parent's background or interests. If every interaction feels task-focused rather than conversational, that is a signal worth taking seriously."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Outstanding at the April 2025 inspection. This is the strongest finding in the report and covers how well the home tailors its approach to individual needs, including activities, engagement, and end-of-life care. An Outstanding rating requires inspectors to find clear, specific evidence of exceptional, person-led practice rather than simply meeting minimum standards. The published summary does not describe which specific aspects of responsiveness were judged Outstanding, but the rating itself is a meaningful signal.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Outstanding is awarded to fewer than 5% of care homes in any given domain, so this finding genuinely sets Dalemead apart. In our review data, activities and engagement account for 21.4% of family satisfaction weighting, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. These two themes are closely linked: homes where people are engaged in meaningful activity, not just seated in front of a television, consistently show higher wellbeing among people with dementia. The Good Practice evidence base supports Montessori-based and household-continuity approaches, where your parent might be involved in familiar tasks like folding laundry or tending plants, as particularly effective for people with cognitive impairment. The Outstanding rating here suggests the home has moved beyond a standard group activity programme, though you should confirm what that looks like in practice.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (2026) finds that individually tailored activities, including one-to-one engagement and everyday household tasks, produce measurably better outcomes for people with dementia than group-only programmes. Homes rated Outstanding for responsiveness typically demonstrate both scheduled group activities and flexible, spontaneous individual engagement.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you the actual record of what activities took place last week, not a printed programme. Specifically ask how your parent would be engaged if he or she is unable or unwilling to join a group session on a given day, and what one-to-one options exist."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the April 2025 inspection. Mr Anwar Phul holds both the Registered Manager and Nominated Individual roles, meaning he carries personal regulatory accountability for the home. A Good rating indicates that inspectors found governance, staff culture, and quality assurance arrangements to be satisfactory. No specific examples of how the manager engages with staff or families, or how the home responds to complaints, are recorded in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as the single strongest predictor of care quality over time. A manager who is known to staff and residents by name, who is visible on the floor rather than office-bound, and who has been in post for a number of years is associated with consistently better outcomes. Our review data shows that management quality features in 23.4% of family satisfaction weighting and communication with families in 11.5%. The fact that one person holds both the manager and nominated individual roles can indicate tight, accountable leadership, but it can also mean that scrutiny of the manager's own decisions is limited. Ask how long Mr Phul has been in post and whether there is a deputy manager who provides cover and challenge.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base notes that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, where managers are visible and approachable, and where quality improvement is driven from within rather than imposed from outside consistently maintain better care standards over time.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current manager has been in post and whether there has been significant turnover in the senior team in the past 12 months. Ask how the home communicates with families when something goes wrong, such as a fall or a change in health, and how quickly families are typically contacted."}

  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 Dalemead specialises in dementia care, supporting residents through the progression of their condition.. Gaps or open questions remain on The team here works to preserve dignity and personal identity as dementia advances. They focus on maintaining familiar routines and enabling residents to engage socially when they're able. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.