Sandbanks Resource Centre

What families say

Based on 11 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness68
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality62
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-03-21 · Report published 2019-03-21 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Requires Improvement at the August 2024 inspection. This is the only domain not rated Good, and it represents the most significant gap in the published findings. The specific reasons for this rating are not detailed in the published summary, which means families cannot assess from the report alone what the concern was. Common reasons for a Requires Improvement in Safe include staffing levels, medicines management, risk assessment quality, or infection control. This rating does not mean the home is unsafe, but it does mean inspectors identified something that needed to improve.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement in Safe is the finding that families should take most seriously. Our review data shows that 14% of positive family reviews mention staff attentiveness as a specific concern, and Good Practice research from the Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips. If your parent is living with dementia or has a physical disability, consistent, attentive staffing matters not just during the day but overnight. The fact that four other domains are rated Good is encouraging, but the Safe rating means you need specific answers before signing a care agreement. Ask what changed after the inspection and whether a follow-up assessment has taken place.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) identifies that safety concerns in care homes are disproportionately concentrated in night shifts and during periods of occupancy growth, when staff-to-resident ratios are most likely to be stretched.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, covering both day and night shifts. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency staff, and ask specifically what the minimum staffing level is overnight for the 62-bed home."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the August 2024 inspection. This domain covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well the home uses information to support each person. A Good rating here indicates inspectors were satisfied that the home broadly meets the required standard across these areas. However, the published summary does not include specific observations, examples, or staff training details, so the evidence is positive but general rather than specific.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is reassuring if your parent has complex needs, including dementia or a physical disability, because it suggests care plans and health oversight are working to an acceptable standard. Our family review data shows that healthcare access (20.2% of positive reviews) and dementia-specific care (12.7%) are among the themes families most frequently mention. Good Practice research highlights that care plans should be treated as living documents, reviewed regularly with family input, not filed and forgotten. You cannot confirm this from the published summary alone, so ask to see how your parent's care plan would be created, who you would speak to about it, and how often it would be reviewed.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that homes where care plans are regularly updated with direct input from the person and their family produce better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than those where plans are created at admission and infrequently revisited.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often are care plans formally reviewed, and can you as a family member attend that review? Ask for a blank example care plan so you can see how much detail is captured about an individual's history, preferences, and daily routines."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the August 2024 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether the people living here are treated as individuals. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the quality of interactions they observed. The published summary does not include direct observations or quotes from residents or relatives, so it is not possible to confirm specific behaviours such as use of preferred names, unhurried pace, or response to distress from the report alone.","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 together account for a further 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring is therefore one of the most important positive signals in this report. However, a rating alone cannot tell you how your parent specifically would be treated. Good Practice research emphasises that non-verbal communication matters as much as spoken words for people with advanced dementia, and that knowing a person's individual history is what separates genuine care from routine task completion. Observe this yourself on a visit: notice whether staff greet your parent by name, whether they seem rushed, and whether interactions feel warm or transactional.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know and act on individual histories, preferences, and communication styles, is one of the strongest predictors of wellbeing for people with dementia, more so than activities or environment alone.","watch_out":"When you visit, pay attention to what happens in corridors and communal areas when staff pass residents who are not their immediate responsibility. Do they stop, make eye contact, and speak? Or do they walk past? This everyday behaviour is a more reliable signal of genuine warmth than anything you will see during a formal tour."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the August 2024 inspection. This covers whether the home tailors its care to individuals, provides meaningful activities, supports independence, and plans appropriately for end of life. A Good rating here is positive, particularly for a home that supports people with dementia and physical disabilities, where responsiveness to individual needs is especially important. As with other domains, the published summary does not provide specific examples of activities, individual adjustments, or end-of-life arrangements.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness accounts for a further 27.1%. These are not minor concerns: families want to know their parent has something to look forward to each day and is not simply waiting. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with advanced dementia, who benefit most from one-to-one engagement and familiar, everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, or simple cooking. A Good rating in Responsive is encouraging, but ask specifically about what your parent's day would look like, not the programme on paper but what actually happens.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household task participation produce greater sustained engagement for people with dementia than structured group activity sessions, particularly for those who can no longer follow group instructions.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what happened last Tuesday, a specific day, not what is typically planned. Ask how a resident who stays in their room or cannot join a group would be supported to have meaningful contact and stimulation during the day."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the August 2024 inspection, up from the previous Requires Improvement rating overall. The home has a named registered manager, Mrs Dian Angela Sampson, and a nominated individual, Mrs Sue Witcher. This leadership structure being in place and named is a positive indicator. A Good rating in Well-led suggests inspectors found a functioning governance structure, a supportive culture for staff, and evidence that the home is accountable and learning. Specific details about manager visibility, staff feedback mechanisms, or how incidents are reviewed are not included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to Good Practice research. A home that has improved from Requires Improvement to Good overall, with a named and registered manager in post, is a more encouraging prospect than one that is declining. Our family review data shows that 23.4% of positive reviews specifically mention management as a reason for confidence. However, the Requires Improvement in Safe is a signal that the leadership team has not yet fully resolved every concern from the inspection. Ask the manager how long they have been in post, what the staff turnover rate is, and how they found out about the issues that led to the Safe rating.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identifies leadership stability as a key structural predictor of care quality, and notes that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear of reprisal show better outcomes across all domains, including safety.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, and what specifically was identified as Requires Improvement in Safe at the last inspection? A confident, transparent answer is itself a good sign. Evasiveness or vague reassurance is not."}

  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 centre supports adults of all ages who need help with physical disabilities or are living with dementia. They provide personal care assistance and structured day programmes designed to help people stay active and engaged.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the centre offers specialised day support that helps maintain routines and social connections. Their programmes are designed to provide stimulation and companionship in a safe, structured environment. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.