Ingersley Court Care Home – Minster Care Group

What families say

The care assistants create an atmosphere where kindness shapes every interaction. Families describe staff who are genuinely approachable, making those difficult early days feel less daunting for everyone involved.

Based on 9 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-21 · Report published 2020-02-21 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, so achieving Good here indicates that earlier safety concerns were addressed. The published summary does not record specific staffing numbers, night rotas, or details about how medicines are managed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Safety is, understandably, the first thing families want to know about. A Good rating for Safe is reassuring, but because the inspection text gives no specific numbers, you cannot yet confirm how many staff are on the floor after 8pm or how much of the rota relies on agency cover. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, and that high agency use undermines the consistency that people living with dementia need. The improvement from Requires Improvement is a genuine positive signal: it suggests the leadership team can recognise problems and act on them. However, with an inspection now over five years old, it is essential to ask directly about current staffing arrangements rather than relying on the published rating alone.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that agency reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of poorer safety outcomes in dementia care settings, because unfamiliar staff cannot read behavioural cues that signal distress or deterioration.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, and confirm how many carers are on duty overnight for the 46 beds."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good. This domain covers whether staff have the skills and training to meet residents' needs, whether care plans are kept up to date, and whether residents receive appropriate healthcare including GP access and nutritional support. Ingersley Court lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have assessed dementia-specific practice as part of this domain. The published summary does not record specific training programmes, care plan review schedules, or examples of healthcare coordination.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, the Effective domain is where you find out whether staff actually understand the condition rather than just managing behaviour. A Good rating is a positive indicator, but our family review data shows that dementia-specific care quality (mentioned in 12.7% of positive reviews) is most meaningfully evidenced by concrete things: does the home use life history books, does the manager know your parent's preferred name and routine, are care plans reviewed with family input? The inspection summary does not answer these questions, so they need to go on your list for the visit. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans function best as living documents updated after every significant change, not annual reviews filed away.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that regular, structured GP access combined with dementia-specific staff training significantly reduces avoidable hospital admissions from care homes, a key quality marker for families.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (with personal details removed) and check when it was last updated and by whom. Ask specifically whether family members are invited to contribute to care plan reviews and how often those reviews happen."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good. This is the domain most directly concerned with whether staff are kind, whether your parent's dignity is respected, and whether they are treated as an individual rather than a task to complete. The inspection covered privacy, dignity, and independence. No direct quotes from residents or relatives are included in the published summary, and no specific staff interactions are described.","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 a further 55.2%. A Good rating for Caring is encouraging, but because there are no specific observations or resident quotes in this inspection, it is not possible to confirm the texture of day-to-day interactions from the published text alone. When you visit, watch what happens in corridors and communal areas: do staff stop to speak with residents, do they use preferred names, do they move without hurry? Non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal communication for people living with dementia, and Good Practice research is unambiguous on this point.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review confirms that for people with advanced dementia, unhurried physical presence and use of preferred names are more reliably linked to wellbeing than structured activities or formal care interventions.","watch_out":"During your visit, find a moment when staff do not know you are watching. Notice whether they greet residents by name when passing in a corridor, and whether anyone stops for a brief, unrushed conversation with a resident who is sitting alone."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good. This domain covers whether care is tailored to individual needs, whether there is a meaningful activity programme, and whether the home responds well when things go wrong or when needs change. It also covers end-of-life care planning. The home supports people living with dementia and physical disabilities, both of which require highly individualised responsive care. The published summary provides no examples of specific activities, no description of how individual needs are assessed, and no information about end-of-life practice.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness is mentioned in 27.1%. A Good rating for Responsive is a reasonable foundation, but the absence of any specific detail in the inspection text means you cannot yet know whether your parent would have meaningful things to do each day or whether they would spend long periods without engagement. For people with dementia who cannot join group activities, one-to-one engagement is particularly important: Good Practice research identifies this as one of the most under-delivered areas in residential dementia care. Ask specifically what the home does for residents who are withdrawn or unable to participate in group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday household task approaches to activity significantly reduce agitation and improve wellbeing in people with moderate to advanced dementia, but these approaches require staff time and training that is not always visible in inspection ratings alone.","watch_out":"Ask to see last week's actual activity schedule, not a printed programme. Then ask how that schedule is adapted for residents who cannot participate in groups, and whether any staff time is ring-fenced for one-to-one engagement."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and the home moved from Requires Improvement to Good overall, which indicates meaningful improvement under current leadership. A named Registered Manager, Christine Valerie Wootton, is recorded as in post, along with a Nominated Individual, Paul Nicholls. The improvement trajectory is the strongest piece of positive evidence available, as it suggests a leadership team that can identify problems, act on feedback, and sustain change. No specific detail about governance processes, staff culture, or how the manager is experienced by residents and staff is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and Good Practice research is consistent that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality over time. The fact that this home improved from Requires Improvement is genuinely encouraging: it takes real effort and consistent oversight to turn a rating around. However, the inspection was carried out in December 2019 and the last review was a desk-based exercise in July 2023. You need to establish whether the same manager is still in post, how long key staff have been there, and whether there have been significant occupancy or staffing changes since the inspection. A home that improved under one manager does not automatically sustain that improvement if leadership changes.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that manager tenure and staff empowerment to raise concerns are the two most consistent predictors of sustained quality in care homes, more so than any individual compliance measure.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post, whether the leadership team has changed significantly since 2019, and how staff are encouraged to raise concerns. A confident, specific answer to that last question is one of the clearest signs of a healthy staff culture."}

  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 under 65, those living with dementia, older adults, and people with physical disabilities. This broad expertise means they're equipped to handle complex needs, including situations where someone faces multiple health challenges at once.. Gaps or open questions remain on Families have seen measurable improvements in their loved ones' physical abilities even as dementia progresses. The combination of skilled dementia care and rehabilitation support helps residents maintain as much independence as possible. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.