St Josephs

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 warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-06-09 · Report published 2023-06-09 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for safety at its May 2023 inspection. Beyond the rating itself, the published text does not record specific inspector observations about staffing levels, medicines management, falls monitoring, or infection control at this home. The home is registered for 26 beds and specialises in dementia care, which means safe practice, particularly at night, is especially important. No concerns were flagged by the inspectorate.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating means inspectors did not identify failings, but the absence of published detail means you cannot verify the specifics from this report alone. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in smaller residential homes, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency that people with dementia depend on. With 26 beds and a dementia specialism, you should ask directly how many staff are on duty overnight, how often agency staff are used, and how falls and incidents are logged and acted on.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and consistency of permanent staff are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in dementia care homes, particularly for residents who become distressed or disorientated after dark.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you last week's actual night-shift rota, not a template. Count how many of those names are permanent staff versus agency, and ask what the minimum number of staff on duty overnight is for 26 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for effectiveness at its May 2023 inspection. The published text does not include specific findings about care plan quality, GP access, dementia training, or food provision at this home. St Josephs specialises in dementia care, which requires staff to hold specific knowledge about how the condition progresses and how to communicate with people who have limited verbal ability. No concerns were noted.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia care home is largely invisible until something goes wrong. Good Practice evidence shows that care plans should be treated as living documents, reviewed regularly and updated as your parent's needs change, with family input actively sought. Food quality is flagged in 20.9% of positive family reviews as a meaningful signal of genuine care, yet this report gives no detail on what meals look like or how dietary preferences and difficulties are managed. You will need to ask these questions directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies regular, family-inclusive care plan reviews and meaningful dementia-specific training (covering non-verbal communication, responsive behaviours, and person-centred approaches) as the clearest markers of effective practice in residential dementia care.","watch_out":"Ask to see the format of a care plan (with personal details removed) and ask how often plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute. Then ask the manager what dementia training staff complete and when the last training session took place."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"St Josephs was rated Good for caring at its May 2023 inspection. The published text does not include inspector observations of staff interactions, resident mood, or specific examples of dignity and respect being upheld. For a home specialising in dementia care, the quality of moment-to-moment interactions, how staff speak to your parent, whether they are rushed, and how they respond when someone is distressed, matters enormously. No concerns were recorded.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity are mentioned in 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in observable behaviours such as knocking before entering a room, using your parent's preferred name, sitting at eye level to speak, and not hurrying someone through a meal. Because the inspection text gives no examples here, a visit is essential. Go at a mealtime if you can, when you will see the most natural, unscripted interactions.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication in dementia care. Staff who understand this adjust their pace, tone, and body language to the person rather than to the task, and this is visible to a careful observer on a single visit.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how a staff member greets your parent or another resident in a corridor or communal area. Are they unhurried? Do they make eye contact and use the person's name? If you see a resident who appears distressed, notice whether a staff member responds immediately and calmly, or continues with another task."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for responsiveness at its May 2023 inspection. The published text contains no specific detail about the activities programme, individual engagement for people who cannot join group activities, or how the home responds to changing needs and end-of-life wishes. For people living with dementia, meaningful occupation throughout the day, not just scheduled group sessions, is a significant quality-of-life factor. No concerns were recorded.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement feature in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness in 27.1%. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with moderate or advanced dementia, who may need one-to-one engagement drawing on familiar household tasks, music, or sensory experiences to remain connected and calm. With 26 residents, a small home like this has the potential to offer genuinely individual attention, but you cannot confirm that from this report. Ask specifically about what happens for residents who cannot join a group session.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and the incorporation of everyday household tasks into daily routines significantly improve engagement and reduce distress in people with moderate to advanced dementia, and that one-to-one activity time is a key differentiator between homes with good and poor quality-of-life outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what happens for a resident who is unable or unwilling to join a group activity on a given day. Request to see last week's actual activity records, not a planned schedule, and ask how the home tailors activities to individuals with advanced dementia."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"St Josephs was rated Good for leadership at its May 2023 inspection, and a subsequent review in July 2023 found no reason to change that rating. The registered manager is Mr Richard Asare, who also runs the organisation. The published text gives no detail about management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home learns from incidents and complaints. No concerns were noted.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive family review themes, and Good Practice research consistently shows that leadership stability predicts a home's quality trajectory over time. A registered manager who is also the provider carries significant responsibility for culture, and the fact that Mr Asare has maintained a Good rating across three inspections is a positive sign. However, the absence of published detail means you cannot assess from this report how open the culture is, how staff are supported, or how complaints from families are handled. Communication with families features in 11.5% of positive reviews, so ask directly how you would be kept informed if your parent's needs changed or if something went wrong.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where managers are visible on the floor rather than office-based, consistently perform better on resident wellbeing outcomes than homes where leadership is primarily administrative.","watch_out":"When you meet Mr Asare, ask how long he has been managing the home, whether he is present on site most days, and how families are typically contacted if there is a change in a resident's condition or an incident occurs. Ask whether there is a relatives' group or any regular mechanism for family feedback."}

  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 at St Josephs provides dementia care alongside general residential support for older adults. They welcome residents aged 65 and above who need daily assistance.. Gaps or open questions remain on St Josephs includes dementia care as part of their services. The home accepts residents at different stages of their dementia journey. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.