The Cedars and Larches Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds69
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities
- Last inspected2023-07-05
- Activities programmeThe home keeps things clean and tidy throughout, something families particularly notice when they visit. There's regular entertainment laid on to help residents stay occupied and engaged.
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
People who've visited describe staff as genuinely kind and welcoming. The atmosphere feels positive, with regular entertainment helping to create an environment where residents can enjoy their days.
Based on 5 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness72
- Activities & engagement65
- Food quality65
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership72
- Resident happiness70
What inspectors found
Inspected 2023-07-05 · Report published 2023-07-05 · Inspected 6 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The home received a Good rating for Safe at the March 2025 inspection. This represents a recovery from the previous inspection period when the overall rating was Requires Improvement. The home is registered to provide nursing care, which means a registered nurse must be on duty at all times. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, incident logging, medicines management, or infection control practices at this inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safe means inspectors were satisfied that the fundamental safety requirements were being met when they visited. However, our Good Practice evidence base highlights that night staffing is one of the most common points where safety slips in care homes, and the published findings do not tell you how many staff are on duty overnight in a 69-bed nursing home. If your parent has dementia, consistent and familiar faces matter as much as raw numbers; high agency staff use can undermine that consistency. The previous Requires Improvement rating means it is worth asking directly what changed and how the home now monitors whether improvements are holding.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that learning from incidents, specifically whether homes have robust systems for recording, reviewing, and acting on falls and other safety events, is one of the clearest markers distinguishing genuinely safe homes from those that are merely compliant on inspection day.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the template. Count permanent staff versus agency staff names, and ask specifically how many carers and nurses are on duty on the dementia unit after 9pm."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"The home received a Good rating for Effective at the March 2025 inspection. The home is registered to care for people living with dementia, people with physical disabilities, and adults over 65 requiring nursing care. The published report does not include specific observations about care plan quality, dementia training content, GP access arrangements, or how food and nutritional needs are managed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effective means inspectors were satisfied that care was achieving good outcomes for residents. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care is mentioned in 12.7% of positive reviews, and food quality is referenced in 20.9% of positive reviews, making both significant factors in how families judge a home. Because the published report does not describe specific practice in either area, you will need to gather this evidence yourself on a visit. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans should function as living documents updated regularly with family input, not as paperwork filed at admission.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that regular, structured GP access and care plans that reflect the person's current preferences and health status (rather than their status at admission) are among the strongest predictors of good health outcomes for people living with dementia in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you an example care plan (anonymised if necessary) and ask when it was last reviewed and updated. Ask specifically whether families are invited to contribute to care plan reviews, and how often those reviews happen for someone with advancing dementia."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"The home received a Good rating for Caring at the March 2025 inspection. This covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how well staff support residents' independence. The published report does not include specific inspector observations of staff interactions, direct quotes from residents or relatives, or examples of how staff respond to distress.","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 feature in 55.2%. A Good rating here is encouraging, but because the published findings contain no specific observations or quotes, you cannot rely on the inspection alone to answer the question of whether staff are genuinely kind to your parent. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, eye contact, and unhurried movement, matters as much as verbal interaction for people living with dementia. These things are visible on a visit if you know what to look for.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual, including their history, preferences, and how they communicate distress. Homes where staff can describe each resident's background and preferred routines consistently score better on wellbeing outcomes than those where care is competent but impersonal.","watch_out":"When you visit, notice whether staff use your parent's preferred name unprompted, and watch what happens when a resident appears unsettled or distressed. Do staff stop, make eye contact, and respond calmly, or do they redirect without fully engaging? This is more revealing than any conversation with the manager."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"The home received a Good rating for Responsive at the March 2025 inspection. This domain covers whether care is tailored to the individual, whether activities are meaningful, and whether the home responds appropriately to changing needs including end-of-life care. The published report does not describe specific activity programmes, individual engagement approaches, or end-of-life planning practices.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness is referenced in 27.1% of positive family reviews, and meaningful activities are mentioned in 21.4%. A Good rating for Responsive is a positive sign, but for a parent living with dementia, the quality of daily life often comes down to whether there is something purposeful to do, especially for people who can no longer join group activities. The Good Practice evidence base consistently finds that individual, one-to-one engagement and familiar everyday tasks (such as folding, gardening, or simple cooking activities) are more beneficial for people with moderate to advanced dementia than large group sessions. The published report does not tell you whether this home provides that level of individualised engagement.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and activity programmes built around a person's life history produce measurable improvements in wellbeing and reductions in distressed behaviour for people living with dementia, compared with generic group activity timetables.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity programme for the past two weeks, not the planned schedule but the record of what actually happened. Ask specifically what happens for a resident who is unable to join a group session on a given day, and who is responsible for providing one-to-one engagement in that situation."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"The home received a Good rating for Well-led at the March 2025 inspection. The registered manager is Mr Kris Webster, and the Nominated Individual is Mr Sirajali Gulamhussain Panjwani. The home previously held a Requires Improvement rating, meaning the current Good rating reflects an improvement in governance and leadership. The published report does not describe specific observations of management culture, staff experience, or quality monitoring systems.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that management and communication with families feature in 23.4% and 11.5% of positive reviews respectively. Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in a care home; the Good Practice evidence base is clear on this. The fact that this home has recovered from Requires Improvement is a positive sign, but the recovery is recent and you should ask directly how long the current manager has been in post, and what specific changes were made. A home that has improved under stable leadership is very different from one where quality has fluctuated with staffing changes.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid 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 outperform homes where governance is strong on paper but leadership is not felt day to day.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, and what were the main changes made to address the previous Requires Improvement rating? Then ask a member of care staff (not in the manager's presence if possible) whether they feel comfortable raising concerns. The answers to both questions will tell you more than the rating itself."}
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 cares for adults over 65, including those living with dementia and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on While the home welcomes residents with dementia, families might want to ask about specific approaches and support available when they visit. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
The home has returned to a Good rating across all five domains at its most recent inspection in March 2025, recovering from a previous Requires Improvement rating. Scores reflect consistent positive findings but are held at the 70-75 range because the published report contains limited specific observations, direct quotes, or detailed examples to support higher confidence.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
People who've visited describe staff as genuinely kind and welcoming. The atmosphere feels positive, with regular entertainment helping to create an environment where residents can enjoy their days.
What inspectors have recorded
Staff here are known for their friendly, caring approach. When families have needed support through difficult times, including end-of-life care, they've found the team attentive and kind.
How it sits against good practice
Sometimes it's the simple things that matter most — and here, that seems to be getting right.
Worth a visit
The Cedars and Larches Care Home in Ilkeston was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its most recent assessment in March 2025. This is a significant recovery from its previous Requires Improvement rating and suggests that whatever issues prompted that decline have been addressed. The home provides nursing and personal care for up to 69 adults, including people living with dementia and physical disabilities, and has a registered manager in post. The main limitation of this report is that the published findings contain very little specific detail, meaning it is not possible to give you a fully evidenced picture of day-to-day life for your parent. A Good rating is a positive foundation, but it tells you the home has met the required standard, not how it feels to live or visit there. Before making a decision, visit in person and ask the manager directly about night staffing numbers, how staff are trained in dementia care, what activities are available for people who cannot join group sessions, and how the home communicates with families when something changes.
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In Their Own Words
How The Cedars and Larches Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Welcoming staff bring warmth to clean, activity-filled care home
The Cedars and Larches Care Home – Expert Care in Ilkeston
Families visiting The Cedars and Larches Care Home in Ilkeston often mention the same things — how friendly the staff are, how clean everything looks, and how there's usually something happening to keep residents engaged. It's these everyday touches that seem to make the difference here in this East Midlands home.
Who they care for
The home cares for adults over 65, including those living with dementia and physical disabilities.
While the home welcomes residents with dementia, families might want to ask about specific approaches and support available when they visit.
Management & ethos
Staff here are known for their friendly, caring approach. When families have needed support through difficult times, including end-of-life care, they've found the team attentive and kind.
The home & environment
The home keeps things clean and tidy throughout, something families particularly notice when they visit. There's regular entertainment laid on to help residents stay occupied and engaged.
“Sometimes it's the simple things that matter most — and here, that seems to be getting right.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
