St Margaret's Care Home

What families say

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity60
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-12-03 · Report published 2020-12-03 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Safety domain was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2020 inspection, meaning inspectors found at least one area where the home did not fully meet the required standard. The published summary does not specify what the safety concerns were, which makes it difficult to assess how serious they were or what action was taken. The overall rating improved from Requires Improvement to Good, suggesting some progress had been made across the home, but Safety was not yet resolved. A review in July 2023 did not find evidence requiring a reassessment of the rating. The Safety domain rating is the single most important flag for families to investigate directly.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Safety is the finding that should weigh most heavily in your thinking. It means inspectors identified gaps that needed addressing, and while the review in 2023 did not trigger a fresh inspection, that review was based on data rather than a visit. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency your parent needs. Because the published report gives no detail on what the safety issues were, you need to ask the manager directly: what did inspectors find, what changed, and can you see the evidence?","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that learning from incidents, including falls, medication errors, and near-misses, is one of the strongest markers of a genuinely safe culture. A home that can show you its incident log and explain what it changed as a result is demonstrating exactly that.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to explain specifically what the Requires Improvement findings in Safety related to, what action was taken, and whether a follow-up inspection has since confirmed those issues are resolved. If the manager cannot give you a clear answer, that itself is important information."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the October 2020 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The published summary does not include any specific observations about care plan quality, GP access, dementia training content, or food provision. The rating indicates that inspectors were broadly satisfied, but the absence of detail means families cannot verify what specifically was observed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is encouraging, particularly for a home that lists dementia as a specialism. However, 12.7% of positive family reviews in our data specifically mention dementia-specific care as a reason for satisfaction, and those families are usually responding to things they can see and feel, such as staff who know how to communicate with someone who has lost words, or care plans that reflect a person's history and preferences. The inspection tells us the standard was met but not how it was met. Food quality is another area our review data highlights (20.9% of positive reviews mention it). Visit at a mealtime and see for yourself.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed with families regularly, not filed and forgotten. Dementia training that goes beyond basic awareness, covering communication, behaviour, and person-centred approaches, is associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if needed) and ask when the last review took place and whether a family member was involved. Also ask what dementia training staff receive beyond their induction and how recently it was updated."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the October 2020 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and independence. No specific observations, staff interactions, or resident or relative quotes are recorded in the published summary. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with what they observed, but without detail it is not possible to say what that looked like in practice.","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 abstract values; they show up in very specific moments, such as whether a staff member knocks before entering a room, uses your mum's preferred name, or sits with her rather than talking over her head. The inspection gives you a broad reassurance but not the specific evidence. On your visit, notice whether staff seem rushed, whether they greet residents by name in corridors, and whether they include the person in conversation rather than speaking only to you.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research emphasises that non-verbal communication matters as much as spoken words for people living with dementia, and that person-centred care depends on staff knowing the individual: their history, preferences, and what brings them comfort or distress. A Good Caring rating should mean this knowledge exists, but you should verify it.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name is, what they enjoy doing in the morning, and what tends to upset them. The quality and specificity of the answer will tell you a great deal about how well staff actually know the people they care for."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the October 2020 inspection. This domain covers activities, engagement, individuality, and end-of-life care. No specific information about the activity programme, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning is recorded in the published summary. The Good rating indicates the standard was met, but families have no published detail to draw on.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness and engagement feature in 27.1% of positive family reviews in our data, and activities are mentioned by 21.4%. For people living with dementia, group activities alone are rarely enough. Good Practice research points strongly to one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks like folding, sorting, or gardening, as important for people who cannot participate in formal group sessions. A Good rating here is reassuring but ask specifically about what happens for a resident who cannot join a group activity, or who has withdrawn from social contact.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies Montessori-based and individually tailored approaches, including familiar household tasks, as more effective than group entertainment for people with moderate to advanced dementia. The question is not whether the home runs activities, but whether those activities reach everyone, including those who cannot seek them out.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records for the past two weeks, not the planned schedule but the actual record of what took place. Check whether any one-to-one sessions are recorded for residents who do not join groups, and ask who is responsible for activities and how many hours per week they work."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-Led domain was rated Good at the October 2020 inspection. The home is run by Sun Healthcare Limited, with a named registered manager and a nominated individual listed in the published record. A review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a reassessment of the rating. The published summary does not describe the management culture, staff feedback mechanisms, or governance processes in any specific detail.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Our review data shows that 23.4% of positive family reviews specifically mention management and leadership as a reason for confidence. A Good Well-Led rating, particularly following an improvement from Requires Improvement, suggests the management team made meaningful changes. The key question is whether those changes have been sustained and whether the manager is still in post, given that this inspection took place in October 2020. Leadership continuity matters more than any single inspection rating.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies leadership stability as a key predictor of quality trajectory. Homes where the registered manager has been in post for more than two years tend to show more consistent care standards, and staff who feel able to raise concerns without fear are associated with better safety and caring outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether the same person was in charge at the time of the 2020 inspection. If there has been a change in leadership, ask what has been done to maintain continuity and how the new manager has been supported to understand the home's history."}

  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 Margarets cares for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those with dementia and physical disabilities. They offer both long-term residence and respite care options.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home has experience caring for residents with different stages of dementia. Their approach includes structured daily routines and appropriate support for those with memory-related conditions. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.