Sand Banks Care Centre

What families say

Families describe seeing their relatives settled and content here. Several mention how residents show improved confidence during their stay. The atmosphere seems to help people adjust to their new surroundings.

Based on 14 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
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-02-24 · Report published 2023-02-24 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for safety at Sand Banks Care Centre. This represents an improvement on the previous Requires Improvement rating in this domain. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, medicines management processes, falls recording, or infection control observations. The July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence requiring a change to the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating after a previous Requires Improvement is a meaningful step forward, but the lack of specific detail in the published report means you cannot yet be confident about the things that matter most at night. Good Practice research consistently finds that safety problems in care homes are most likely to surface on night shifts and in periods when agency staff cover gaps. With 77 beds and a mixed population including people living with dementia, knowing the overnight staffing picture is essential before you make a decision. The inspection findings do not tell you this, so you need to ask.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels are a key predictor of safety incidents in dementia care settings, and that homes relying heavily on agency staff show less consistent risk management.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual staffing rota for the previous two weeks, not the planned template. Count the number of permanent staff versus agency names on night shifts, and ask how falls are recorded and reviewed by the management team."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for effectiveness at Sand Banks Care Centre. The home is registered to provide nursing care and to support people living with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. The published report does not include specific detail about care plan content, the frequency of GP or specialist input, dementia training programmes, or how food and nutrition are managed across the 77 beds.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness covers the things that shape your parent's daily health: whether care plans reflect who they actually are, whether the GP visits promptly when needed, and whether staff have genuine dementia training rather than a one-day induction. Our family review data shows that healthcare quality influences around a fifth of positive reviews (20.2%), and food quality is close behind at 20.9%. The inspection confirms the domain is rated Good but does not tell you the detail behind that rating. Ask specifically about care plan reviews and whether families are included in them.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identified that care plans function as living documents in high-quality homes, updated after any significant change in health or behaviour and co-produced with families wherever possible.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often your parent's care plan would be formally reviewed, who leads that review, and whether you would be invited to take part. Then ask to read a sample care plan (anonymised) to see whether it reflects a real person's history and preferences or reads like a form."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2023 inspection. This is an improvement from the previous rating. The published report does not include inspector observations of staff interactions, direct quotes from residents about how they feel treated, or specific examples of dignity and respect in practice. The overall Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied at the time of the visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are the things families notice immediately on a visit: whether a carer stops to speak rather than walking past, whether your parent is addressed by the name they prefer, whether the pace feels unhurried. The Good rating tells you inspectors found no concerns, but you need to see this for yourself. Sit in a communal area for 20 minutes and watch how staff move through the space.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and touch, is as important as verbal interaction for people living with dementia, and that person-led care requires staff to know each individual's history, not just their care needs.","watch_out":"On your visit, listen to how staff address your parent or other residents: do they use the person's preferred name, and do they make eye contact and pause before moving on? This is more reliable than any answer to a direct question about dignity."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the January 2023 inspection, an improvement on the previous rating. The home is registered to support people living with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment across 77 beds. The published report does not include detail about the activities programme, how individual interests are identified and met, or how the home supports people who are unable to participate in group activities.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A home being responsive means your parent's day has shape and meaning, not just physical care. Our review data shows that activities and engagement feature in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness overall accounts for 27.1%. For a parent living with dementia, the research is clear that one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks like folding, sorting, or gardening, matters as much as organised group sessions. The published report does not tell you whether Sand Banks offers this kind of individual engagement. This is one of the most important questions you can ask on a visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-based individual activity approaches significantly improve wellbeing in people with moderate to advanced dementia, and that group-only programmes fail to reach the most vulnerable residents.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator (not the manager) what happened yesterday for a resident living with advanced dementia who cannot join group sessions. If the answer is vague or focuses only on group activities, treat that as a significant gap."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2023 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. The home is run by Prestige Care (Sand Banks) Limited, with Mrs Lynn Maddison named as the nominated individual. The published report does not include detail about management visibility, staff culture, how concerns are escalated, or how the home has embedded the improvements that led to the rating change.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Moving from Requires Improvement to Good across all five domains is a positive trajectory, and leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of whether quality is maintained or slips again. Our family review data shows management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive reviews, and communication with families features in 11.5%. What you cannot tell from the published report is how long the current manager has been in post, how staff feel about raising concerns, or how the home plans to sustain the improvements it has made. These are exactly the questions to ask before you commit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that leadership stability is the single strongest structural predictor of care quality trajectory, and that homes where staff feel able to speak up without fear show significantly better outcomes for residents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in post, what was the main change that led to the improvement in rating, and how do staff raise concerns if they are worried about something? Then speak to a carer or nurse without the manager present if you can, even briefly."}

  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 team here works with residents who have sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They support both younger adults under 65 and older residents, adapting their approach to different needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff here understand the particular challenges of dementia care. They work to maintain each resident's sense of identity and independence where possible. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.