Laurel Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds60
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities
- Last inspected2019-05-30
- Activities programmeThe home maintains good standards of cleanliness throughout, creating a well-run environment for residents.
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth55
- Compassion & dignity55
- Cleanliness55
- Activities & engagement50
- Food quality50
- Healthcare55
- Management & leadership60
- Resident happiness55
What inspectors found
Inspected 2019-05-30 · Report published 2019-05-30 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good, indicating inspectors found no significant concerns about safety at the time of the March 2019 visit. Safe covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and safeguarding. The home specialises in dementia care, which means safe management of risk u2014 including falls and wandering u2014 is particularly relevant. However, the published summary contains no specific observations, staffing figures, or examples of how safety is maintained in practice. A monitoring review in July 2023 did not flag any deterioration in this area.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but for families choosing a dementia home, the detail behind the rating matters as much as the rating itself. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety most often slips u2014 and this inspection gives you nothing to go on about overnight cover. Our family review data shows that 14% of positive reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as a reason families feel their parent is safe. Ask the home how many permanent (not agency) staff are on the dementia unit after 8pm, and whether there is a registered nurse on duty overnight. Also ask how falls are logged and what changes were made after the last significant incident.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of safety failures in dementia care settings, particularly during night shifts when staffing is thinnest and oversight is reduced.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask: 'How many permanent staff u2014 not agency u2014 are on the dementia unit after 8pm, and is a registered nurse present overnight?' Then ask to see the falls register for the last three months and what changes were made as a result."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"Effective is rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies a baseline of dementia-specific training and adapted care approaches. No details about the content of staff training, how care plans are written or reviewed, GP access arrangements, or food quality and choice are included in the available report text. The July 2023 monitoring review did not identify any concerns in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, 'effective' care means staff who genuinely understand the condition u2014 not just tick-box training, but knowledge of how to communicate when words are difficult, how to read behaviour as communication, and how to adapt care as needs change. Our family review data shows healthcare responsiveness (20.2% weight) and food quality (20.9% weight) are among the strongest drivers of family satisfaction. Good Practice evidence tells us care plans should be living documents updated after every significant health change, and that food quality u2014 choice, texture modification, eating environment u2014 is a direct marker of how much a home truly knows its residents. Ask to see a sample care plan and ask when it was last reviewed.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training which goes beyond compliance u2014 covering non-verbal communication, behavioural understanding, and person-centred approaches u2014 significantly improves resident outcomes and reduces use of unnecessary medication.","watch_out":"Ask: 'Can I see an example of how a care plan is updated when someone's health changes u2014 for instance, after a fall or a hospital admission?' This tells you whether care planning is a live process or a paper exercise."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"Caring is rated Good, which covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how staff support residents' independence. For a dementia-specialist home, this domain is the most important indicator of daily lived experience. The published report contains no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no observations of staff interactions, and no examples of how dignity was preserved in practice. The absence of specific evidence does not mean care is poor u2014 but it means you are relying entirely on the rating rather than what inspectors actually saw.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data identifies staff warmth (57.3% weight) and compassion and dignity (55.2% weight) as by far the most important themes in what families tell us matters. When inspection reports include direct quotes and observations, those scores rise sharply u2014 the absence of that detail here means the rating cannot fully reassure you. Good Practice research tells us that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal for people with dementia u2014 the tone, pace, and physical presence of staff in everyday moments matters enormously. When you visit, watch what happens in the corridor: do staff make eye contact, crouch to speak to someone in a wheelchair, use your parent's preferred name without being prompted?","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that person-led care u2014 knowing and using an individual's life history, preferences, and communication style u2014 is one of the strongest protective factors against distress and behavioural symptoms in dementia care.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch an unscripted moment u2014 a staff member passing a resident in the corridor or helping someone move between rooms. Do they make eye contact, speak unhurriedly, and use the resident's name? This is more revealing than any formal tour."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"Responsive is rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and responsiveness to changing needs including end-of-life care. The home specialises in dementia, which means responsiveness to individual need u2014 not just group programming u2014 is central to this domain. No detail is available about what activities are offered, how frequently they run, whether one-to-one engagement is provided for residents who cannot participate in groups, or how end-of-life care is approached. The July 2023 monitoring review did not raise concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows resident happiness (27.1%) and activities and engagement (21.4%) are significant drivers of family confidence. For families with a parent in the later stages of dementia, the question is not just 'what activities are there?' but 'what happens for my parent if they can't join a group session?' Good Practice research strongly supports individual, Montessori-influenced activities u2014 folding laundry, sorting objects, looking through personal photographs u2014 as more meaningful than structured group entertainment for people with moderate to advanced dementia. Ask the activities coordinator what a typical Tuesday looks like for someone who is largely in their room.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday household task approaches to dementia activity u2014 tailored to the individual's remaining abilities and life history u2014 produce significantly better wellbeing outcomes than group entertainment programmes alone.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: 'What would a typical day look like for my parent if they can't join group sessions u2014 who comes to their room, how often, and what do they do together?' A specific, confident answer is a very good sign."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"Well-led is rated Good, and the home has a named registered manager (Mrs Felicity Anne Dennis) and a nominated individual (Mr Laurence Baughan) formally in post. Well-led covers governance, culture, learning from incidents, and staff support. No information is available about how long the current manager has been in post, how staff are supported and supervised, how complaints are handled, or how families are kept involved in decisions about care. The stable rating over multiple monitoring periods suggests no governance concerns have emerged since the 2019 inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows management and leadership (23.4%) and communication with families (11.5%) are meaningful themes in what makes families feel confident. Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality u2014 homes where the manager has been in post consistently for two or more years tend to perform better on all other domains. A stable rating is reassuring, but ask directly how long the current manager has been in post and what has changed in the last year. Also ask how you would be contacted if your parent's health changed overnight.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that leadership stability and a culture in which staff feel able to raise concerns without fear are the two most robust structural predictors of sustained care quality in older person and dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask: 'How long has the current registered manager been in post, and what has changed in the home in the last 12 months in terms of staffing?' High management or staffing turnover in the period since the last inspection is the single most important factor to probe given how old the rating now is."}
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 team at Laurel cares for adults over 65, with specific experience supporting people living with dementia and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the staff bring patience and understanding to their daily care, working to maintain dignity and comfort as needs change. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Laurel Care Home holds a Good rating across all five inspection domains, but the inspection report available contains almost no specific observations, quotes, or detailed findings — meaning the score reflects confirmed good intent without the granular evidence families need to feel confident.
Homes in South East typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
Laurel Care Home on Salisbury Road, Southampton, holds a Good rating across all five inspection domains — Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led — following an inspection carried out in March 2019. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a reassessment of that rating, meaning it has remained stable. The home is registered for 60 beds and specialises in dementia, care for adults over 65, and physical disabilities. A named registered manager and nominated individual are both in post. The most important thing for you to know is that the underlying inspection report contains almost no specific observations, direct quotes, or detailed findings — only the domain ratings themselves. This means the Good rating is confirmed, but you have very little granular evidence to judge what daily life actually looks like for your parent. The inspection is now over six years old, which is a significant gap. Before making a decision, ask directly about night staffing ratios, how often agency staff cover the dementia unit, what one-to-one engagement looks like for residents who cannot join group activities, and how the team communicates changes in your parent's health to family members.
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In Their Own Words
How Laurel Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Caring staff bring comfort when families need it most
Nursing home in Southampton: True Peace of Mind
When you're looking for residential care in Southampton, finding genuinely compassionate staff can make all the difference. Laurel Care Home supports older adults, including those living with dementia or physical disabilities. The care team here seems to understand what really matters — treating each resident with kindness and respect.
Who they care for
The team at Laurel cares for adults over 65, with specific experience supporting people living with dementia and physical disabilities.
For residents living with dementia, the staff bring patience and understanding to their daily care, working to maintain dignity and comfort as needs change.
Management & ethos
Staff have been described as excellent in their approach to care, with a friendly manner that helps put families at ease. They've shown particular compassion during difficult times, providing support that's been deeply valued by relatives.
The home & environment
The home maintains good standards of cleanliness throughout, creating a well-run environment for residents.
“It's worth arranging a visit to see if Laurel could be the right place for your loved one.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
