Marlfield Care Home With Nursing

What families say

The nursing team seems to understand that some days are harder than others. When residents feel overwhelmed or tired, staff respond with gentle patience rather than hurry.

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
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness65

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-01-20 · Report published 2018-01-20 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"Safety was rated Requires Improvement at the February 2022 inspection, meaning inspectors identified areas that needed to be addressed. The published report text does not specify what those concerns were. The home is registered to provide nursing care, which means clinical risk management, medicines handling, and staffing levels are all in scope for the safety assessment. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a reassessment of the rating, which suggests the home has not deteriorated further, but this is not the same as confirming the safety concerns have been fully resolved.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Safety is the finding most likely to keep a family awake at night, and rightly so. Our review data shows that families consistently rate safe, attentive staffing as one of their core concerns. Good Practice research from the IFF and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review highlights that safety risks in care homes most often surface at night and in periods of staffing change, so those are the specific areas to probe. The July 2023 monitoring review is a partial reassurance, but it is not a full inspection, and it does not tell you what specifically was found to be inadequate in 2022 or what was done to fix it. You need to ask the manager directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance as the two most common contributors to safety failures in care homes. A home that has improved its overall rating but retains a Safety concern warrants specific questions about both.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: what specifically was identified as Requires Improvement in the 2022 Safety inspection, and can you show me the action plan and evidence that it has been resolved? Then ask to see last week's actual staffing rota, including nights, and count how many of those staff are permanent employees versus agency."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. The home provides nursing care and is registered to support people living with dementia, as well as adults both over and under 65. No specific detail about care planning, training, healthcare access, or food quality is provided in the published report text available here. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with how the home translates care plans into outcomes for the people who live there.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective means inspectors were broadly satisfied that staff know what they are doing and that care plans are being followed. For your parent living with dementia, this domain covers whether staff have received specific dementia training, whether your mum or dad's care plan reflects their individual history and preferences, and whether the home manages nutrition well. Because the published detail here is so limited, these questions cannot be answered from the inspection findings alone. Good Practice research shows that care plans function as living documents only when they are reviewed regularly with family input, so this is worth asking about specifically.","evidence_base":"The IFF and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training, covering non-verbal communication and person-centred approaches, significantly improves day-to-day outcomes for people living with dementia, particularly in nursing settings where clinical tasks can otherwise dominate staff time.","watch_out":"Ask to see your parent's care plan before they move in, and ask how often it is reviewed and who is involved in that review. Ask specifically what dementia training staff have completed and when it was last updated."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Caring was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. This domain covers whether staff treat people with warmth, respect, and dignity, and whether your parent's independence is supported rather than managed away. No direct observations, resident quotes, or relative feedback are reproduced in the published report text here. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the quality of staff interactions and the culture of respect in the home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of positive family reviews in our data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive Google reviews, and compassion and dignity come close behind at 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring is therefore one of the most important signals in an inspection. However, without specific observations or quotes from this report, it is not possible to tell you what the inspectors actually saw that satisfied them. The best evidence you can gather is your own, through an unannounced or lightly planned visit where you watch how staff interact with people in corridors, communal spaces, and at mealtimes, noting whether they use preferred names, move without hurry, and respond to distress with calm and patience.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication, pace of interaction, and use of a person's preferred name are as important as spoken words for people living with dementia. These are observable signals you can assess yourself during a visit, regardless of what an inspection report says.","watch_out":"During your visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes without announcing why you are watching. Count how many times a staff member initiates a positive interaction with a resident unprompted, and note whether staff crouch to eye level, use names, and take their time."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors its care and activities to individuals, whether people who can no longer join group activities receive one-to-one engagement, and whether end-of-life planning is in place. No specific detail about activity programmes, individual engagement, or complaints handling is provided in the published text available here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, Responsive is where the difference between a home that manages and a home that genuinely supports a person's life is most visible. Activities engagement features in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness in 27.1%. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are insufficient for people with advanced dementia, who benefit most from one-to-one engagement and familiar, meaningful tasks. A Good rating here is encouraging, but the lack of specific detail means you cannot assess from this report whether your parent's individual interests would be known and acted upon.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies Montessori-based approaches and the use of familiar everyday tasks, such as folding, gardening, or simple cooking, as particularly effective for people living with dementia who cannot engage in structured group activities.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator how they would find out what your parent's interests and daily routines were before their dementia progressed, and ask for an example of a one-to-one activity arranged for a resident who could not join a group session."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. The registered manager is Mrs Sonia Ellen Morley and the nominated individual is Mrs Jane Selvage. The home is run by Hampshire County Council. The Good rating suggests inspectors were satisfied with governance, management visibility, and the culture of accountability in the home. No specific observations about management style, staff culture, or incident learning are included in the published report text here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality matters more than families often realise when choosing a care home. Our review data shows that 23.4% of positive family reviews mention management positively, and Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of consistent care quality over time. Hampshire County Council as the operating organisation brings accountability structures that a smaller independent provider may not have. However, the registered manager is the person who sets the daily culture, and you should meet them in person. Ask how long they have been in post, because high manager turnover is a warning sign even in homes with Good ratings.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where managers are visibly present on the floor rather than office-based, consistently perform better on person-centred care outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in post here, and what is the one thing you would most like to improve about this home? A manager who gives a specific, honest answer to the second question is a better sign than one who says everything is going well."}

  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 provides nursing care for adults of all ages, including those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the patient approach of the nursing team can make a real difference. Staff seem to understand that rushing doesn't help, and take time to provide reassurance when it's needed. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.