Midhurst Road Residential Home

What families say

Families visiting here often comment on the approachable nature of the staff. There's a sense that team members genuinely care about the people they support, taking time to chat and check in throughout the day.

Based on 5 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2017-10-26 · Report published 2017-10-26 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for safety at the January 2024 inspection. This indicates that inspectors were satisfied with arrangements for managing risk, medicines, and staffing levels. The published report does not include specific observations about falls management, infection control practices, or night staffing ratios. A named registered manager was in post, which supports continuity of oversight. No concerns or Requires Improvement findings were recorded in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating means the home met the expected threshold, but it does not tell you what the overnight staffing level looks like for 54 beds, some of whom are living with dementia. Good Practice research consistently highlights that night shifts are where safety risks are highest, particularly for people who become disoriented after dark. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness (cited in 14% of positive reviews) is something families notice and value, often more than they expect to. The inspection text gives you a baseline of confidence, but the specific questions to ask about nights and agency cover remain important before you commit.","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 incidents in care homes, because unfamiliar staff miss the behavioural cues that permanent staff recognise in individual residents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by agency staff, and ask specifically what the minimum staffing level is overnight for the dementia unit."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for effectiveness at the January 2024 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have looked at whether staff training and care plans reflect that specialism. No specific detail about training content, GP access arrangements, or how food choices are managed is included in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in dementia care is about whether staff actually know your parent as an individual, not just whether a care plan exists. Our family review data shows food quality is mentioned in 20.9% of positive reviews, often as a proxy for how well the home understands and responds to personal preferences. Good Practice research highlights that care plans should function as living documents, updated regularly and shaped by family input, rather than paperwork completed on admission and filed away. The Good rating gives a baseline, but ask specifically how often your parent's plan would be reviewed and how you would be involved.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training which covers non-verbal communication and behavioural expression of need, rather than just awareness-level content, is associated with measurably better outcomes for residents and lower rates of distressed behaviour.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia training staff complete, how recently it was updated, and whether it covers responding to distress as communication. Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised) to judge whether it reflects a real person or reads as a standard template."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for caring at the January 2024 inspection. This domain covers warmth, dignity, respect, and whether residents are treated as individuals. The published report does not reproduce any specific observations of staff interactions, resident testimony, or examples of how dignity was protected in practice. A Good rating in this domain means inspectors were satisfied, but the evidence available to families is limited to that headline.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important theme in our family review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity together feature in 55.2%. These are not soft extras; they are what families say matters most when they look back on a placement. The Good rating is encouraging, but the inspection text does not give you the specific signals to look for on a visit. Watch whether staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted, whether interactions are unhurried, and how staff approach a resident who appears distressed or confused.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia. Staff who crouch to eye level, maintain calm tone, and avoid sudden movements reduce distressed episodes significantly, and these are behaviours you can observe in a 30-minute visit.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch a handover or a mealtime and count how many times staff make eye contact and use a resident's name unprompted. If you see staff talking over residents or across them to each other, that is worth noting."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for responsiveness at the January 2024 inspection. This domain covers activities, individuality, and how the home responds to changing needs including end-of-life care. The published text does not include detail about the activities programme, how one-to-one engagement is provided for residents who cannot join group sessions, or how complaints and concerns are handled. A Good rating indicates these areas met the required standard.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a parent living with dementia, responsiveness is about more than a weekly bingo session. Activities engagement is cited in 21.4% of positive reviews in our data, and resident happiness features in 27.1%, often linked to how well a home provides meaningful daily occupation. Good Practice research identifies one-to-one engagement, including familiar household tasks and sensory activities tailored to personal history, as especially important for people who can no longer participate in group activities. Ask specifically what would happen on a day when your parent did not want to leave their room.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and life-history approaches to activity, where tasks are matched to a person's past roles and capabilities, are associated with reduced anxiety and improved mood in people with moderate to advanced dementia, compared with generic group entertainment programmes.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activities rota for last week, not a planned schedule. Then ask what was offered to residents who stayed in their rooms that week. The gap between the two answers tells you a great deal."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for well-led at the January 2024 inspection. A named registered manager, Helen Gibson, is in post and SheffCare Limited is the registered provider, with Claire Rintoul named as the nominated individual. A Good rating in this domain indicates inspectors were satisfied with governance arrangements, quality monitoring, and the overall culture of the home. No specific detail about manager visibility, staff feedback mechanisms, or how the home handles complaints is available in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Good Practice research links consistent manager tenure to lower staff turnover and better outcomes for residents. Our family review data shows management quality is cited in 23.4% of positive reviews, often through comments about whether families feel listened to and whether concerns are acted on promptly. A named manager in post is a positive signal, but it is worth asking directly how long Helen Gibson has been in the role and what the staff turnover rate has been over the last 12 months.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear of reprisal, and where managers are regularly visible on the floor rather than office-based, show consistently better safety and caring outcomes than homes where leadership is primarily administrative.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long she has been in post, and ask a staff member (not in the manager's presence) whether they feel comfortable raising concerns. If staff hesitate or deflect, treat that as information."}

  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 both under and over 65, making it suitable for younger people who need residential support. They also provide specialist dementia care.. Gaps or open questions remain on While dementia care is offered here, families haven't shared specific details about memory support programmes or therapeutic approaches. You might want to ask about their dementia training and activities when you visit. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.