Riverside Care Home

What families say

Visitors describe walking into a warm atmosphere where staff know residents well and treat them with genuine respect. The friendliness feels natural rather than forced, and families mention feeling welcomed during visits. There's a sense that residents are encouraged to maintain their own routines and choices wherever possible.

Based on 19 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 2019-04-09 · Report published 2019-04-09 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the March 2019 inspection, an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to risks. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing numbers, falls management, or medicines processes. No concerns were flagged by inspectors in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating after a previous Requires Improvement is reassuring, but it does not tell you what changed or how robust those changes are. Our Good Practice evidence review found that night staffing is where safety most often slips, and that agency reliance undermines the consistency that people with dementia particularly need. The published findings give no information on either of these points, so you will need to ask directly. The inspection is also over five years old, which means you cannot rely on it alone as a current picture of safety.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that consistent staffing, particularly at night, is one of the strongest predictors of safe outcomes in dementia care. High agency use is associated with increased incident rates and poorer continuity of care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the staffing rota for the past two weeks, not just the template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency staff, and ask specifically how many carers and senior staff are on duty between 10pm and 7am."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors will have considered whether staff have appropriate knowledge and skills. No specific detail about training content, GP access arrangements, or food quality is included in the published report.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Food quality is mentioned positively in over a fifth of the family reviews we analysed (20.9%), and our Good Practice evidence highlights that the quality and presentation of food is a reliable indicator of how much a home genuinely attends to individual needs. The published findings do not give you any information on this, so observing a mealtime during your visit is one of the most useful things you can do. Similarly, ask how often your parent's care plan would be reviewed and whether you would be invited to take part in those reviews.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated regularly in response to changes in the person's condition and preferences. Families who are included in care plan reviews report higher satisfaction and greater confidence in the care being provided.","watch_out":"During your visit, ask to see an example of how a care plan is structured, and find out how frequently they are formally reviewed. Ask whether families are routinely invited to those reviews or whether you would need to request involvement."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. This domain typically includes inspector observations of staff interactions with residents and feedback from residents and relatives. The published report does not include any specific observations, quotes, or examples from this domain, which limits what can be confirmed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassionate treatment comes close behind at 55.2%. These are the things families notice first and remember longest. Because the published report gives no specific examples, you will need to make your own observations when you visit. Watch whether staff make eye contact with residents, use their preferred names, and move without appearing hurried. These small signals are the most reliable indicators of genuine warmth.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with dementia. Staff who crouch to eye level, use a calm tone, and respond to body language rather than just spoken requests are demonstrating person-led care in its most meaningful form.","watch_out":"When you arrive unannounced or at a quiet time of day, watch how staff interact with residents who are not directly asking for help. Do they initiate conversation, use first names or preferred names, and make eye contact? Or do they move through communal areas focused on tasks rather than people?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and responsiveness to changing needs including end-of-life care. The home offers care for people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, which means responsiveness to individual need is particularly important. The published report includes no specific detail about the activities programme, one-to-one engagement, or how the home responds to individual preferences.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement appear in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and our Good Practice evidence is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with dementia, particularly those in later stages. Individual, one-to-one engagement and the opportunity to take part in everyday tasks, such as folding laundry or helping to lay a table, can provide meaningful stimulation when group sessions are not accessible. The published findings give no information on whether this home provides one-to-one activities, so this is a direct question to raise on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review identifies Montessori-based and task-oriented individual activities as particularly effective for people in the later stages of dementia. Homes that rely solely on group activities may leave the most vulnerable residents disengaged for large parts of the day.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activities schedule for the current week and the previous week. Then ask specifically what happens for residents who cannot or do not want to join group sessions. Find out whether a staff member or activities coordinator spends one-to-one time with those individuals, and how often."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and a named registered manager, Mrs Lynn Marie Bennett, was in post at the time of inspection. A nominated individual, Mrs Jaswinder Kaur Samra, was also recorded. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains suggests meaningful changes to governance and leadership took place before the 2019 inspection. No further detail about management culture, staff supervision, or quality monitoring processes is included in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our Good Practice evidence identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of a home's quality trajectory. A registered manager who is known to staff and residents by name, and who is visible day-to-day rather than office-bound, is one of the clearest markers of a well-run home. The published findings confirm a manager was in post but give no information about tenure, visibility, or culture. Ask how long the current manager has been in post, because management turnover since the 2019 inspection would be an important factor in how much weight you give to the rating.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where managers respond visibly to feedback, show consistently better outcomes for residents. Leadership that empowers staff at all levels is associated with more consistent, person-centred care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in their current role and whether there have been any changes to the senior leadership team since 2019. Then ask how staff raise concerns, and whether you can see an example of a change the home made in response to a complaint or incident."}

  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 Riverside supports people with various needs including dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for adults both under and over 65, offering flexibility for families with different care requirements.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the home's emphasis on maintaining dignity and personal choice continues. Staff work to understand each person's preferences and capabilities, adapting their support as needs change. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.