The Crest

What families say

Families describe a warm atmosphere where they feel genuinely welcomed whenever they visit. Staff treat relatives as part of the care community, involving them in their loved one's daily routine. The caring approach extends to everyone who walks through the door.

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
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-24 · Report published 2023-05-24 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Crest Care Home was rated Good for safety at its May 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. This represents a genuine step forward in how risks, medicines, and staffing are being managed. The published summary does not include specific observations about falls, infection control practices, or how incidents are recorded and acted on. The home supports people with dementia and other complex needs, making consistent safe practice particularly important. No concerns were raised in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A previous Requires Improvement rating for safety that has moved to Good is worth taking seriously as a positive signal. It suggests the manager and team have addressed whatever gaps inspectors previously found. That said, the Good Practice evidence base from the IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review is clear that night staffing is where safety most often slips, and the published report gives no information about how many staff are on duty after 8pm. Our review data shows that family satisfaction with safety is closely linked to staff attentiveness, which accounts for 14% of positive reviews. You cannot assess attentiveness from a published summary; you need to observe it on a visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice rapid evidence review (61 studies, March 2026) found that agency staff reliance is one of the clearest predictors of inconsistent safe care, particularly for people living with dementia who benefit from familiar faces and established routines.","watch_out":"Ask the home manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not a template. Count the names on night shifts and ask how many of those are permanent members of the team rather than agency staff."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Effective at its May 2023 inspection. This domain covers how well care plans reflect individuals' needs, whether staff are trained to support people with dementia and other conditions, and whether healthcare access, including GP visits and medicines management, is in place. The published summary does not describe specific training records, care plan content, or examples of healthcare coordination. The home lists dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities as specialisms, so the breadth of training required is significant. No concerns were identified in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effective tells you that inspectors were broadly satisfied, but the absence of specific detail in this report means you cannot yet know whether care plans are genuinely person-centred or whether dementia training goes beyond a basic induction. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care is mentioned in 12.7% of positive reviews, and those reviews consistently describe staff who know the person's history, preferences, and communication style. The Good Practice evidence base emphasises that care plans should be living documents, reviewed with families at least every three months. Ask how the home handles that review process and whether you would be included.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia training quality varies widely across residential settings and that training which covers non-verbal communication and individualised behaviour responses produces measurably better outcomes than generic induction programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia training staff have completed in the last 12 months and whether it includes anything specific to non-verbal communication or responding to distress. Ask to see an anonymised example of a care plan to judge whether it reads like an individual person or a compliance document."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Crest Care Home was rated Good for Caring at its May 2023 inspection. This is the domain that most directly reflects how staff treat the people who live there, including whether they use preferred names, whether they move at the person's pace, and whether privacy and dignity are protected. The published summary contains no recorded quotes from residents or relatives and no specific inspector observations of staff interactions. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the level of detail available to families is very limited.","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 account for a further 55.2%. These are the things families notice most and remember longest. The inspection confirms the home met the standard required for a Good rating, but the published text cannot tell you whether a staff member will remember your mum prefers to be called by her first name or will sit with her when she is anxious. Those details are only visible on a visit. Arrive unannounced if you can, or at a time when the home is not expecting you, and watch what happens in the communal areas.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that non-verbal communication, including eye contact, pace, and physical proximity, is as important as verbal interaction for people living with dementia, and that homes where staff are observed to use these skills consistently tend to receive significantly higher family satisfaction ratings.","watch_out":"When you visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes and watch whether staff make eye contact with residents, use their preferred names, and move without rushing. Notice whether anyone who appears distressed receives a calm, individual response or is managed from a distance."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Responsive at its May 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether people have access to meaningful activities, whether care is tailored to individual preferences, and whether end-of-life wishes are recorded and respected. The published summary contains no specific information about the activity programme, timetables, or examples of individual engagement. The home supports adults with dementia and other complex needs, where the risk of people being left without stimulation or purposeful activity is real. No concerns were raised in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness, which is closely linked to meaningful occupation, accounts for 27.1%. A Good rating for Responsive is reassuring, but it does not tell you whether your dad has access to one-to-one engagement on days when he cannot join a group, or whether the activity programme reflects what he actually enjoys rather than what is easiest to organise. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks, such as folding, gardening, or simple cooking, are among the most effective ways to support wellbeing for people with dementia.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that group activities alone are insufficient for people living with moderate to advanced dementia and that homes with dedicated one-to-one engagement protocols show significantly better wellbeing outcomes for those who cannot participate in group settings.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you the programme for last week and point out which activities were one-to-one rather than group-based. Ask specifically what would happen for your parent on a day when they did not want to join a group session or were having a more difficult day."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Crest Care Home was rated Good for Well-led at its May 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. The home is run by Warmest Welcome 2 Limited, with Mrs Tracey Holroyd named as the nominated individual responsible for oversight. The fact that the home has improved across all five domains since its previous inspection is a meaningful indicator of active leadership. The published summary does not describe specific governance arrangements, staff culture, or examples of how management responds to concerns. No issues were raised in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and communication with families accounts for a further 11.5%. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains suggests that whoever is leading the home has made real changes rather than cosmetic ones, but the published report gives no detail about what those changes were or how embedded they are. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of a home maintaining or improving its quality over time. Ask how long the current manager has been in post and whether they are usually on site during the day.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that homes where managers are visible on the floor, known to residents by name, and able to describe specific recent quality improvements tend to sustain Good ratings across inspection cycles, whereas homes where leadership has recently changed show higher variability in outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post, what the two or three most significant changes were that led to the improvement from the previous rating, and how families can raise concerns if they are not happy with the care their parent is receiving."}

  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 Crest provides care for adults of all ages, including those living with dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, The Crest offers specialised support. The home accepts residents with varying stages of the condition, providing appropriate care as needs change. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.