Hilldales Residential Care Home

What families say

Visitors mention feeling welcomed when they arrive. Family members say they're greeted warmly during visits, which can make those first nervous moments easier.

Based on 4 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
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-09-28 · Report published 2022-09-28 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated the Safe domain as Good at the September 2024 assessment. This indicates that, at the time of inspection, staffing was considered adequate, medicines management was satisfactory, and the home was meeting basic safety requirements. The published report does not include specific details about staffing ratios, night cover, agency use, or how falls and incidents are logged and reviewed. The home holds registered status with no recorded dormancy.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring as a starting point, but the Good Practice evidence base from Leeds Beckett University highlights that night staffing is where safety most often slips in residential care. The published findings give no information about how many staff are on overnight for the home's 56 beds, which is the single most important safety question families should ask. Agency staff reliance is a known risk factor for inconsistency in dementia care, and this is also not addressed in the published text. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness is cited in 14% of positive reviews, suggesting families notice and value consistent, present staff. You should ask these questions directly before making a decision.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (2026) found that night staffing ratios and the consistency of the permanent workforce are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in residential dementia care. Homes with high agency use tend to show weaker personalised responses to distress.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency workers covered night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for the whole home."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated Effective as Good at the September 2024 assessment. This domain covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans are kept up to date and reflect individual needs, whether residents have access to healthcare including GPs and specialists, and whether food quality and dietary needs are managed well. The published report does not describe what dementia training staff have completed, how often care plans are reviewed, or how dietary preferences are recorded and acted on.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans should function as living documents, updated regularly and co-produced with the person and their family, not filed away after admission. A Good rating in Effective suggests inspectors were satisfied, but without specific detail you cannot know whether your parent's plan would reflect who they are, what they like to eat, or how they prefer to spend their time. Food quality appears in 20.9% of our weighted family review themes and is consistently cited as a marker of genuine care, not just nutrition compliance. Healthcare access, including timely GP visits and medication reviews, accounts for 20.2% of our family review weighting. Ask to see a sample care plan and find out how frequently reviews take place.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University evidence review found that dementia-specific training focused on non-verbal communication and person-centred practice, rather than generic compliance training, is associated with measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia training staff complete, who delivers it, and when it was last updated. Then ask to see a care plan for a current resident (anonymised) to check whether it contains personal history, preferences, and a recent review date."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated Caring as Good at the September 2024 assessment. This domain covers whether staff are kind and respectful, whether residents' privacy and dignity are upheld, and whether people are supported to maintain their independence. No specific inspector observations, resident quotes, or relative testimony are included in the published report for this domain. The absence of detail makes it difficult to assess the quality of day-to-day interactions beyond the overall rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, appearing in 57.3% of positive reviews by name. Compassion and dignity together account for a further 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring is a positive signal, but the most reliable way to assess this is to visit and watch. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal. Whether a staff member crouches to eye level, moves without hurry, or uses a gentle touch when someone is distressed tells you far more than any rating. Observe how staff address residents in communal areas and whether interactions feel unhurried.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University review found that person-led care requires staff to know each individual's history, preferences, and communication style. Homes where staff could describe residents as people, not just as care needs, consistently showed better wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"During your visit, listen for whether staff use residents' preferred names in corridors and communal spaces, and watch whether interactions are unhurried. Ask the manager how preferred names and communication preferences are recorded and shared with all staff including agency workers."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated Responsive as Good at the September 2024 assessment. This domain covers whether the home provides activities tailored to individuals, whether residents' personal preferences and histories are reflected in daily life, and whether end-of-life care wishes are recorded and respected. The published report does not describe the activity programme, mention whether one-to-one engagement is available for residents who cannot join groups, or detail how end-of-life planning is approached.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness features in 27.1% of our family review weighting, and activities and engagement account for a further 21.4%. For someone with dementia, the quality of daily life depends heavily on whether there is something meaningful to do and someone who notices when they are bored or distressed. The Good Practice evidence base highlights the value of individual activities, not just group sessions, and Montessori-based approaches that use familiar everyday tasks to support a sense of purpose. The published findings give no detail on whether Hilldales offers this kind of tailored support. Ask specifically what happens for a resident on a day when they do not want to join a group activity.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University review found that individualised, one-to-one activities, including familiar household tasks and sensory engagement, are associated with reduced distress and better quality of life for people with moderate to advanced dementia, particularly when group activities are not accessible to them.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual activity records for the past two weeks, not the planned timetable. Check whether individual sessions are recorded alongside group ones, and ask what a typical day looks like for a resident who prefers not to join group activities."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Inspectors rated Well-led as Good at the September 2024 assessment. The home is run by Hilldales Residential Care Home Ltd, with Mr William Forrester listed as nominated individual. This domain covers whether there is visible, stable leadership, whether staff are supported and can raise concerns, and whether the home has effective governance including learning from incidents. The published report does not describe manager tenure, staff culture, or specific governance processes in any detail.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of our family review weighting, and communication with families contributes a further 11.5%. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory: homes with a consistent registered manager who is visible and known to staff and residents tend to maintain and improve their ratings over time. A Good Well-led rating is positive, but the published text does not tell you how long the current manager has been in post, how staff are supported to raise concerns, or how the home communicates with families when something changes. These are questions worth putting directly to the manager when you visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University review found that bottom-up empowerment, where staff feel safe to raise concerns and managers act on them, is a consistent feature of high-quality dementia care homes. Homes where staff described feeling unsupported showed weaker person-centred practice regardless of their inspection rating.","watch_out":"Ask the registered manager directly how long they have been in post at Hilldales, and ask how staff raise concerns about care quality. Then ask how the home would contact you if your parent had a fall, a health change, or a significant incident."}

  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 of all ages, including those under 65. They support residents with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and substance misuse problems.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the ability to personalise rooms with familiar items can help with orientation and comfort. The team has experience supporting people through different stages of dementia. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.