Hawkhurst House

What families say

Families often mention how approachable the staff are here. The home has successfully looked after people during respite stays, with some families feeling confident enough to book return visits when they need that extra support.

Based on 18 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership70
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-02-25 · Report published 2021-02-25 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, safeguarding, and infection control. The published summary does not include specific inspector observations or detail about how safety is managed day to day. The home's previous rating had declined to Requires Improvement before recovering to Good, which means inspectors were satisfied that earlier safety concerns had been addressed. No specific concerns were flagged in the current rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is the baseline you need, but it does not tell you what the nights look like for your parent. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes, particularly for people with dementia who may be unsettled or at risk of falls. Our family review data shows that 14% of positive reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as the reason families feel their parent is safe. Given that the home has 54 beds and a previous dip to Requires Improvement, it is worth asking directly about night staffing numbers and how the home has maintained its improvement since that earlier inspection.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency reliance and poor night staffing are two of the strongest predictors of safety failures in care homes. A Good rating at inspection does not guarantee these are not present; it means they were not a concern at the time of inspection.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count the permanent versus agency names on night shifts, and ask how many qualified nurses are on duty overnight across the 54 beds."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This domain covers staff training, the quality and use of care plans, access to healthcare professionals including GPs, and food and nutrition. The published summary does not include specific findings about dementia training content, care plan detail, or how food choices are managed. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the standard across these areas at the time of the inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home that lists dementia as a specialism, what matters most under this domain is whether staff training goes beyond a basic online module and whether care plans are genuinely personal to your parent. Our family review data shows food quality features in 20.9% of weighted family concerns, and it is often the most immediate indicator of whether a home takes the individual seriously. Good Practice evidence from 61 studies found that care plans functioning as living documents, updated with family input and reviewed regularly, are strongly associated with better outcomes for people with dementia. The inspection confirms the standard was met, but the specifics are not published, so you will need to investigate the detail yourself.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that regular GP access and dementia-specific staff training, beyond generic care qualifications, are associated with fewer hospital admissions and better symptom management for people with dementia in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask to see a care plan for a current resident (anonymised if needed) and look for evidence of personal history, preferred name, daily routines, and food preferences. Then ask how recently it was reviewed and whether the family was involved in that review."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, privacy, and respect for independence. The published summary does not include specific inspector observations of staff interactions, resident quotes about how they feel treated, or examples of how dignity is maintained during personal care. A Good rating here means inspectors were satisfied that the culture of care met the required standard.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews by name. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities; they show up in specific, observable moments: whether a carer knocks before entering a room, whether your parent is addressed by their preferred name, whether staff sit down to speak rather than talking over someone. Good Practice research is clear that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication, tone of voice, unhurried pace, and physical gentleness, matters as much as words. The Good rating is encouraging, but you will not know how it feels until you visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know an individual's history, preferences, and communication style, is associated with lower rates of distress and better quality of life for people with dementia, regardless of the severity of cognitive impairment.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch what happens in a corridor or communal area when a staff member passes a resident. Do they stop, make eye contact, and speak by name? Or do they pass without acknowledgement? This small interaction is one of the most reliable signals of the caring culture in a home."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. This domain covers how well the home tailors its support to individual needs, including activities, engagement, end-of-life care, and how complaints are handled. The published summary does not describe specific activity programmes, examples of individual engagement, or how the home supports people who cannot join group activities. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied across these areas.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement are weighted at 21.4% in our family review data, and resident happiness at 27.1%, both driven by whether your parent has a life at this home rather than just a room. Good Practice evidence is particularly clear that group activities alone are not enough for people with more advanced dementia: one-to-one engagement, including simple household tasks, sensory activities, and familiar routines, is what makes the difference day to day. Hawkhurst House lists dementia as a specialism across 54 beds, so the activity programme needs to work for people with a wide range of abilities. The inspection confirms responsiveness met the Good standard, but the specifics of what is actually offered are not published.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and the use of familiar household tasks as activities are associated with reduced agitation and improved wellbeing for people with dementia, particularly those who can no longer participate in structured group activities.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you last month's actual activity records for a resident with more advanced dementia, not the planned schedule. Specifically ask how many one-to-one sessions that person received in the last four weeks."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the May 2024 inspection. A named registered manager, Mrs Nicola Jane Barnes, is in post, and a nominated individual, Mr Christopher Robin Walton-Turner, provides organisational oversight. The home had previously declined to Requires Improvement and has since returned to Good, which suggests the leadership team was able to identify and address earlier failings. The published summary does not include detail about management visibility, staff culture, or how the home handles complaints and incidents.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to the Good Practice evidence base. Our family review data shows management and communication with families account for 23.4% and 11.5% of weighted concerns respectively. The fact that this home recovered from a Requires Improvement rating is worth noting in both directions: it shows leadership capacity to improve, but it also means you should ask what specifically changed and whether those changes are embedded. A visible manager who staff and residents can name and approach is the most reliable cultural signal of a well-run home.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that leadership stability, specifically a consistent registered manager rather than frequent changes, is one of the strongest predictors of sustained care quality in both care homes and supported living settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post, what the main concerns were during the Requires Improvement period, and what specific changes were made. Then ask a senior carer the same question separately. If the answers align, the improvement is likely genuine and embedded."}

  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 both under and over 65, including those with physical disabilities. They also support people living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on While dementia care is offered here, experiences seem to vary. Some families have found the support helpful, though others have raised concerns about staff training, particularly on certain units. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.