Hoyland Hall Residential Care Home

What families say

Families talk about how staff made difficult days more bearable. When residents reach their final stages, the team focuses on comfort and those personal touches that matter — remembering what brings someone peace.

Based on 6 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth30
• Compassion & dignity30
• Cleanliness30
• Activities & engagement25
• Food quality25
• Healthcare25
• Management & leadership25
• Resident happiness30

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-04-17 · Report published 2019-04-17 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Safety was rated Requires Improvement at the February 2026 inspection. The published summary does not provide specific observations about what inspectors found concerning, but the rating means inspectors were not satisfied that people living at the home were consistently protected from avoidable harm. The home supports 44 people, including those with dementia, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities, which means safe staffing levels and risk management are especially important. No specific findings about medicines management, falls, or infection control are available from the published report text provided.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating for safety is the finding most likely to keep you awake at night as a family member. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness accounts for 14% of what families highlight in positive reviews, and cleanliness accounts for 24.3%. Neither can be assumed here without more information. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point at which safety is most likely to slip in residential care, so asking specifically about overnight cover is not optional; it is essential before you make a decision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (61 studies, March 2026) found that agency staff reliance and inconsistent night staffing are among the strongest predictors of safety failures in residential dementia care. A Requires Improvement safety rating makes these the first questions to ask.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the planned template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency staff worked on nights, and ask what the minimum number of staff on duty is between 10pm and 7am for 44 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Effectiveness was rated Requires Improvement at the February 2026 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right training and skills, whether care plans are detailed and kept up to date, whether residents have access to healthcare professionals such as GPs and specialists, and whether nutrition and hydration are well managed. No specific observations about any of these areas are available from the published report text. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which makes the absence of evidence about dementia-specific training particularly notable.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"If your parent has dementia, you need to know that the staff caring for them understand how dementia changes behaviour, communication, and physical needs. Our review data shows that dementia-specific care features in 12.7% of positive family reviews, and food quality features in 20.9%. A Requires Improvement rating for effectiveness means you cannot take either for granted at this home. Good Practice research is clear that care plans should be living documents reviewed at least monthly and co-produced with families; ask to see evidence that this happens here.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies regular, structured dementia training as one of the most reliable predictors of person-centred care quality. Homes where staff have not completed recent, specific dementia training tend to default to task-based routines rather than individual-led care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: when were dementia care plans last reviewed, and can you show me an example of how a plan has been updated in response to a change in a resident's condition? Also ask what dementia training all care staff have completed in the past 12 months and request to see the training records."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Caring was rated Requires Improvement at the February 2026 inspection. This domain assesses whether staff treat residents with kindness, compassion, and respect; whether privacy and dignity are upheld during personal care; and whether residents are supported to maintain as much independence as possible. The published report text does not contain any specific inspector observations, resident testimony, or relative feedback about the quality of staff interactions. This absence of detail makes it impossible to give you a reliable picture of day-to-day kindness at this home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity feature in 55.2%. A Requires Improvement rating for caring means inspectors were not confident these qualities were consistently present. The Good Practice evidence base emphasises that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, eye contact, and unhurried movement, matters as much as spoken words, particularly for people with advanced dementia who may not be able to report how they are treated. You will need to observe this yourself on a visit rather than relying on what you are told.","evidence_base":"Research across 61 studies found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual: their preferred name, their history, their communication style. Homes where care plans lack this detail tend to produce more impersonal, task-focused interactions.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff address residents when they pass them in a corridor or common area. Do they use the person's preferred name? Do they make eye contact and pause, or do they walk past? These small moments are reliable indicators of the culture of the home."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Responsiveness was rated Requires Improvement at the February 2026 inspection. This domain covers whether the home provides a varied and meaningful activity programme, whether care is tailored to individual preferences and backgrounds, and whether the home responds well to complaints and end-of-life needs. No specific observations about activities, individual care, or complaints handling are available from the published report. The home supports people with a wide range of needs including dementia and learning disabilities, which requires a particularly flexible and individualised approach to daily life.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness and engagement accounts for 27.1% of what families highlight in positive reviews, and activities account for 21.4%. A Requires Improvement rating for responsiveness means inspectors were not satisfied that residents were consistently supported to have a meaningful daily life. Good Practice research is clear that for people with dementia, especially those who cannot participate in group activities, one-to-one engagement and familiar household tasks are not extras; they are central to wellbeing. Ask specifically what happens for your parent on a day when the main activity is not suitable for them.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored approaches, including everyday tasks such as folding, gardening, and cooking, produce measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group entertainment-focused programmes.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity timetable for the past two weeks, not a planned schedule. Then ask: for a resident with advanced dementia who cannot join a group session, what happened on those days? Who spent time with them, and what did they do?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Leadership was rated Requires Improvement at the February 2026 inspection. This domain assesses whether there is a visible and competent manager in place, whether the home has effective governance systems to monitor and improve quality, whether staff feel supported to raise concerns, and whether the home learns from incidents and complaints. The home has a registered manager, Mrs Gillian Venables, and a nominated individual, Mrs Philippa Jayne Williamson. The home had a previous rating of Requires Improvement, meaning this inspection has not demonstrated improvement to a Good standard. No specific detail about governance, culture, or leadership behaviour is available from the published report text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that management quality features in 23.4% of positive reviews, and communication with families features in 11.5%. A Requires Improvement rating for well-led, combined with a previous Requires Improvement rating, is a serious concern. Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability and a bottom-up culture where staff feel safe to raise concerns are the strongest predictors of sustained care quality. The fact that the home has not improved from its previous rating is the most important single finding in this report.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in care homes. Homes with high management turnover or a culture where staff do not feel able to speak up are significantly more likely to have recurring safety and care quality failures.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post, what specific actions were taken after the previous Requires Improvement inspection, and what has changed since the February 2026 inspection. Request to see the action plan the home submitted to the regulator in response to the latest findings, and check whether a follow-up inspection has been announced or completed."}

  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 supports adults of all ages with dementia, physical disabilities, and learning disabilities. This mix means they're set up to handle different care needs under one roof.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialist support alongside their other services. Staff work with the particular challenges dementia brings to daily life. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.