St John's Nursing Home

What families say

Families talk about the personal touches that matter. Staff remember which residents enjoy drawing, who prefers certain music, and how to engage each person based on their interests and abilities. The atmosphere families describe is one where staff are approachable and cheerful, taking time to build real relationships.

Based on 15 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-03-16 · Report published 2023-03-16 · Inspected 7 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the February 2023 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and safeguarding concerns. The previous rating in this domain was Requires Improvement, so inspectors found sufficient improvement to award a Good rating. No specific staffing ratios, falls data, or medication audit detail is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating after a previous Requires Improvement is meaningful: it means inspectors looked closely and found the problems had been addressed. However, the published text gives no detail about how many staff are on duty overnight, which is where safety most often slips according to Good Practice research across 61 studies. Agency staff usage is another key variable: homes that rely heavily on agency cover tend to have less consistent care, and this is not addressed in the published findings. Ask the home directly about night staffing numbers and agency reliance before making a decision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels are the point at which safety is most likely to deteriorate, and that high agency staff usage undermines the consistency of care that people with dementia need.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count the number of permanent staff versus agency names on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is for the dementia unit overnight."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good. This domain covers care planning, training, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well the home meets individual needs. Dementia is listed as a named specialism, which means inspectors will have looked at dementia-specific practice. No detail about training completion rates, care plan content, GP access frequency, or dietary provision is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research shows that care plans work best when they are treated as living documents, updated after every significant change, and co-produced with families rather than written once and filed. The Effective rating suggests inspectors were satisfied, but the published text does not confirm whether your parent's care plan would include their life history, preferred routines, and communication needs. Food quality is a reliable indicator of genuine care: if the kitchen understands texture-modified diets, cultural preferences, and individual dislikes, it reflects a home that pays attention to the person, not just the task. This is not covered in the published findings and is worth exploring on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that dementia training content matters as much as completion rates: training that covers non-verbal communication and behavioural expressions of distress produces measurably better outcomes than generic moving-and-handling-focused programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia training staff have completed in the past 12 months, who delivered it, and whether it covers recognising distress and communicating with someone who has limited verbal ability. Then ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised) to judge whether it reads like a real person or a checklist."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how well the home supports independence. A Good rating here means inspectors were satisfied with the quality of interactions they observed and the testimony they gathered from residents and relatives. No specific observations, preferred-name usage, or direct quotes from residents or families are recorded in the published summary.","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 compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not soft measures: they are the things families remember and report most often. The inspection found this domain to be Good, which is encouraging, but the most reliable way to assess warmth is to visit unannounced if possible, or at a busy time like a mealtime or mid-morning. Watch whether staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted, whether they crouch to eye level when speaking to someone seated, and whether they move without hurry. Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people with advanced dementia.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual deeply, including their life history, preferences, and triggers for distress, and that this knowledge must be actively used in day-to-day interactions, not simply stored in a care plan.","watch_out":"On your visit, listen for whether staff use your parent's preferred name (not just their first name) and watch whether they make eye contact and pause for a response before moving on. These small behaviours are the most reliable observable indicators of a genuinely caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good. This covers whether the home tailors its care to individual needs, provides meaningful activities, handles complaints well, and plans for end of life. The home lists dementia and physical disabilities as specialisms, meaning inspectors will have considered how well provision is adapted to different needs. No detail about the activity programme, individual engagement, complaint records, or end-of-life planning is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement are mentioned in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness (which activities directly influence) accounts for 27.1% of the positive review themes in our data. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient: people with advanced dementia or physical disabilities often cannot participate in groups and need one-to-one engagement to remain stimulated and settled. The published findings do not confirm whether this home provides individual engagement or relies primarily on group sessions. This is one of the most important questions to ask on your visit, particularly if your parent is at a later stage of dementia.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday-task approaches, such as folding, sorting, or simple cooking activities, produce better wellbeing outcomes than entertainment-focused group activities, particularly for people who can no longer follow group instructions.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records from the past month, not the planned schedule. Look for evidence of one-to-one sessions, and ask specifically what engagement is offered to residents who spend most of their time in their room or who cannot join group activities."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. The home is run by R and E Kitchen Care Limited, with a named registered manager and a nominated individual. A named manager being in post and named in the report is a positive indicator of leadership stability. No detail about staff culture, governance systems, quality audits, or how the home responded to its previous Requires Improvement rating is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability is the strongest predictor of a home's quality trajectory. The shift from Requires Improvement to Good in this domain is the most significant data point in this report: it means inspectors found that the people running this home identified what was wrong and fixed it. That is not universal. What the published text cannot tell you is how long the current manager has been in post, whether the improvement is recent or embedded, and how staff feel about speaking up. These are questions worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel safe to raise concerns without fear of reprisal consistently outperform those where a blame culture exists, and that manager tenure of more than two years is associated with better outcomes for people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, what did the previous Requires Improvement rating relate to, and what specifically changed? Then ask a member of care staff (separately) whether they feel comfortable raising a concern. The candour of those answers will tell you a great deal about the culture."}

  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 St Johns provides nursing care for adults of all ages, including younger people under 65 and those living with physical disabilities. The home specialises in dementia care alongside their general nursing services.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the multilingual staff team can be particularly valuable, as familiar languages often remain accessible even as the condition progresses. The home's approach to personalised activities helps residents stay engaged at their own pace. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.