Knowle Hill

What families say

Some families have found individual care workers to be caring and lovely, bringing warmth to daily interactions with residents.

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-11-07 · Report published 2019-11-07 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Knowle Hill was rated Good for Safe at its October 2019 inspection. This rating represents an improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating, which is significant. The published inspection text does not include specific findings about staffing ratios, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control procedures. No concerns were identified that prompted the inspectors to rate this domain lower than Good.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating after a previous Requires Improvement is genuinely positive, and suggests the home addressed whatever shortcomings were found last time. That said, Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes, and this inspection does not tell you how many staff are on after 8pm in a 74-bed home. Our review data shows that families who later report concerns most commonly say they did not ask the right questions before moving their parent in. For a home with a dementia specialism, consistent staffing matters: people with dementia become distressed when they encounter unfamiliar faces, particularly at night. Do not assume a Good rating answers the night staffing question. It does not.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review (Leeds Beckett University, March 2026) found that agency staff reliance and thin night staffing are the two factors most strongly associated with safety incidents in care homes for people with dementia. A Good rating does not rule out either of these; ask directly.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count the number of permanent staff versus agency or bank workers, and ask specifically how many carers and seniors are on the dementia unit overnight."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Knowle Hill was rated Good for Effective at its October 2019 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, GP access, and food and nutrition. The published report does not include specific findings about dementia training content, care plan quality, or food provision. No concerns in this domain were identified by inspectors.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effective care for someone with dementia means staff who know how to respond when your mum becomes distressed, care plans that describe her as a person rather than a list of medical needs, and a GP who is easy to reach. A Good rating here suggests the basics were in place in 2019, but the inspection does not tell you whether dementia training goes beyond a mandatory e-learning module. Our review data shows that families value dementia-specific knowledge as a key differentiator, mentioned in 12.7% of positive reviews. The Good Practice research is clear that care plans should be living documents reviewed with families regularly, not paperwork filed at admission. Ask specifically when the care plan was last updated and whether family members are invited to reviews.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans which include detailed personal history, preferences, and communication approaches produce measurably better outcomes for people with dementia than those focused primarily on medical and care needs. Ask to see a sample care plan structure on your visit.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed and whether families are invited. Then ask what dementia-specific training staff complete beyond mandatory modules, and how recently the last training was delivered."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Knowle Hill was rated Good for Caring at its October 2019 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how staff support residents' independence. The published report does not include direct observations of care interactions, preferred name use, or specific examples of how staff support people with dementia. No concerns were identified in this domain.","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%. A Good Caring rating tells you inspectors did not find evidence of poor practice, but it does not replace watching how staff interact with your parent on an ordinary day. Non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with dementia, and the Good Practice research is clear that knowing the individual, including their history, preferences, and what comforts them, is what separates genuinely caring practice from compliance. The absence of quotes or observations in this report means you cannot tell from the paperwork alone how warm daily life feels here. Your own visit is the only way to assess this.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know and use an individual's personal history and preferences, produces measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than care delivered to a generalised protocol.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch how a staff member greets your parent or another resident in a corridor. Do they use a preferred name, make eye contact, and slow down? Or do they pass without acknowledgement? That moment tells you more than any rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Knowle Hill was rated Good for Responsive at its October 2019 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, complaints handling, and end-of-life care. The published report does not describe specific activities, individual engagement approaches, or how the home supports people with advanced dementia who cannot participate in group programmes. No concerns were identified in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness together account for a significant proportion of what families tell us matters most, with resident contentment referenced in 27.1% of positive reviews and activities in 21.4%. A Good Responsive rating suggests the home met the standard in 2019, but the inspection does not tell you whether there is a full-time activities coordinator, whether activities are genuinely tailored to individuals, or whether your dad would have something meaningful to do on a Tuesday afternoon. The Good Practice evidence shows that one-to-one engagement for people who cannot join groups, including simple household tasks or sensory activities rooted in personal history, has a strong positive effect on wellbeing. Ask specifically how the home supports someone who cannot participate in group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday task approaches, where people with dementia engage in familiar activities from their own history, produce significantly better engagement and reduced agitation compared with passive group entertainment.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you this week's actual programme, not a printed template. Then ask what happens for a resident who cannot join a group session. What does a typical morning look like for them specifically?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Knowle Hill was rated Good for Well-led at its October 2019 inspection, improved from a previous Requires Improvement. The registered manager is named as Mrs Michelle Wright and the nominated individual as Ms Claire Rintoul. The home is run by SheffCare Limited. The published report does not include specific findings about management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home responds to incidents and complaints.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An upward trend from Requires Improvement to Good in the Well-led domain is one of the most positive signals this report offers. Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory: homes with a consistent, visible manager who staff know by name consistently perform better over time. The named manager and clear organisational structure are positive markers. However, this inspection took place in October 2019, which means the findings are now several years old. Staff turnover, management changes, and occupancy growth can all affect culture quickly. Our review data shows that communication with families is mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews, and families who feel well-informed are significantly more likely to be satisfied. Ask how long the current manager has been in post and how the home communicates with families when something changes.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear of blame, and where managers are visibly present on the floor rather than office-based, show stronger outcomes across all care quality measures.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post. Then ask how the home would contact you if your parent had a fall or a change in health overnight. What is the process, and who makes that call?"}

  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 over 65 and under 65, including those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on Knowle Hill includes dementia care among its services, supporting residents with varying stages of memory loss. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.