Ashmere Care Home

What families say

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
• Cleanliness68
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership70
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-06-08 · Report published 2018-06-08

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Smalley Hall Care Home was rated Good for safety at its April 2018 inspection. The published summary does not include specific observations about medicines management, falls prevention, infection control, or staffing ratios. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no concerns that would prompt a reassessment. The home accommodates 26 residents across a mix of needs including dementia and physical disabilities.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating means inspectors were satisfied with safety arrangements at the time of the inspection. However, the absence of specific detail makes it difficult to tell you precisely what they found. Good Practice research from the Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review highlights that night staffing is where safety most commonly slips in smaller homes, and that reliance on agency staff can undermine the consistency your parent needs. Because this inspection is over six years old, the current staffing picture may have changed, and you should ask directly about overnight cover.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (61 studies, March 2026) found that safety incidents in care homes are disproportionately concentrated on night shifts, where staffing ratios are lowest and the ability to respond quickly to falls or sudden deterioration is most stretched.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent carers and seniors are named on night shifts versus how many are filled by agency staff."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Effective at its April 2018 inspection. This domain covers care planning, training, healthcare access, and nutrition. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which means inspectors would have looked at dementia-specific training and care plan quality. No specific findings about GP access, medication reviews, or food quality are recorded in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you that, in 2018, inspectors judged that staff knew what they were doing and care plans reflected individual needs. For a parent with dementia, the quality of care planning matters enormously, because it shapes how staff respond to your parent on days when communication is hard. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans should be living documents updated after every significant change, not annual paperwork exercises. Food quality is also a meaningful indicator: in our family review data, mentions of food and mealtimes appear in 20.9% of positive reviews, often as a proxy for how well a home understands individual preferences.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training, particularly training that covers non-verbal communication and behavioural responses to unmet need, significantly improves the quality of day-to-day care interactions, reducing distress for the person and stress for staff.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if necessary) and check whether it records your parent's preferred name, daily routine, food likes and dislikes, and communication preferences. Ask how recently care plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to those reviews."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Smalley Hall Care Home was rated Good for Caring at its April 2018 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. No direct quotes from residents or relatives, and no specific inspector observations about staff interactions, are recorded in the published summary. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied overall.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive Google reviews across more than 5,400 UK care homes. Compassion and dignity come close behind at 55.2%. A Good Caring rating is encouraging, but because no specific observations are recorded here, you cannot rely on the rating alone to tell you whether the warmth inspectors found in 2018 is still the daily reality. The most reliable way to assess this yourself is to arrive unannounced if possible, or to sit in a communal space for 20 to 30 minutes and watch how staff speak to and move around the people who live there.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that person-centred care depends on staff knowing the individual, including their history, preferences, and the non-verbal signals that indicate comfort or distress. This knowledge is built over time by a stable, permanent staff team, which is why high agency use is a risk factor even when overall ratings are Good.","watch_out":"During your visit, listen for staff using your parent's preferred name unprompted. Notice whether interactions feel unhurried. If you observe a member of staff responding to a resident who appears distressed, watch whether they stop, make eye contact, and try to understand what that person needs, or whether they move on quickly."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Responsive at its April 2018 inspection. This domain covers activities, engagement, individuality, and end-of-life care. No specific detail about the activities programme, one-to-one engagement, or how the home responds to individual preferences is recorded in the published summary. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which implies some tailoring of activity and engagement approaches.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement appear in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness, which depends heavily on meaningful occupation throughout the day, is mentioned in 27.1%. For a parent with dementia, group activities alone are rarely sufficient. Good Practice research points specifically to one-to-one engagement, Montessori-based approaches, and the value of familiar household tasks as ways of maintaining a sense of purpose and reducing agitation. Because the inspection report contains no specific detail about the activities programme, this is an area to explore carefully on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that tailored individual activities, particularly those connected to a person's life history and previous roles, are significantly more effective at reducing behavioural distress in dementia than generic group programmes. Homes that rely solely on scheduled group sessions often leave residents with advanced dementia unstimulated for long periods.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident with moderate dementia who cannot easily join a group session. Ask how one-to-one time is built into the day, and how staff know what activities a new resident has enjoyed in their life."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Smalley Hall Care Home was rated Good for Well-led at its April 2018 inspection. The registered manager is named as Mrs Gina Helen Smith, with Mr David Poxton recorded as Nominated Individual. The published summary does not include specific detail about governance arrangements, staff culture, incident learning, or how the management team engages with residents and families. The July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence to prompt a rating change.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained care quality. Good Practice research is clear that homes with consistent, visible leadership maintain quality more reliably than those with frequent manager turnover. The inspection found Good leadership in 2018, and a named manager is still recorded. However, given the time elapsed, you should verify whether the same manager is still in post and how long they have been there. Our family review data shows that communication with families, mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews, is closely linked to how approachable and present the manager is in day-to-day life at the home.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that leadership stability is one of the most reliable predictors of care quality over time. Homes where managers are visible, known to staff and residents by name, and able to create a culture where concerns can be raised without fear, consistently outperform homes with frequent leadership changes, even when both hold Good ratings.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current manager has been in post, and whether they work regular hours at the home rather than remotely. Ask what happens when a family member has a concern: who do they speak to, and how quickly would they expect a response?"}

  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 specialises in caring for adults both under and over 65, including those with physical disabilities. This dual focus means they're equipped to support residents with varying mobility needs and care requirements.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialist support as part of their care approach. Their experience spans different age groups, which can be particularly helpful for younger people diagnosed with early-onset dementia. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.