The Old Chapel Residential Care Home

What families say

Relatives talk about the difference they notice in their family members, particularly those living with dementia who've struggled elsewhere. There's something about the way staff interact — always friendly, always available for a chat — that seems to help residents feel at home remarkably quickly.

Based on 7 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
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-06 · Report published 2020-02-06 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the January 2020 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. The published report does not include specific details about how safety is managed, including staffing ratios, medicines administration, falls prevention, or infection control. The improvement from Requires Improvement is a positive indicator, suggesting that concerns identified previously had been addressed to the inspector's satisfaction. The home is a small service with 15 beds, which can support closer monitoring of individual residents, though this depends on actual staffing levels and consistency.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For families choosing a dementia care home, the improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in Safe is genuinely reassuring, because it means inspectors identified specific concerns in an earlier inspection and returned to find them resolved. However, our Good Practice evidence base, drawing on 61 studies, consistently highlights that night staffing is where safety most often slips in small residential homes. The published inspection gives no detail on overnight cover, which is the single most important question to ask before a visit. Cleanliness, which 24.3% of families mention in positive reviews, is also not described in the published findings, so observe it yourself when you visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, March 2026) found that agency staff reliance is one of the clearest predictors of safety concerns in care homes, particularly overnight. Consistent permanent staff who know your parent's routines are better placed to notice early signs of deterioration.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Specifically ask how many permanent staff work nights, and whether agency staff have been used on the dementia unit after 8pm in the past month."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the January 2020 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right training and knowledge, whether care plans reflect individual needs, whether residents receive appropriate healthcare, and whether nutrition and hydration are managed well. The published summary does not include specific detail on any of these areas for this home. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which means inspectors would have assessed whether staff training and care planning reflected dementia-specific needs, but the published text does not describe what they found.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective means that, at the time of inspection, the home met the standard on training, care planning, and healthcare access. For a home that specialises in dementia care, what matters most to families is whether staff can recognise the difference between pain, infection, and distress in a person who may not be able to communicate verbally. Our Good Practice evidence base found that dementia-specific training, not just generic care training, makes a measurable difference to quality of life. The inspection does not tell us what training the team here has completed, so ask the manager directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans function best as living documents, updated frequently and co-produced with families, rather than as static records completed on admission. Families who are involved in reviewing care plans report higher confidence in the home.","watch_out":"Ask to see an example of how a care plan is updated after a change in a resident's condition. Ask specifically: when were the dementia care plans last reviewed, and was the family involved in that review?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2020 inspection. This is the domain that covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether your parent is treated as an individual rather than a task. The published inspection summary does not include direct observations of staff interactions, resident or relative quotes, or descriptions of how dignity is maintained in practice. The Good rating indicates that inspectors were satisfied, but without specific evidence it is not possible to describe what kind and respectful care looks like day to day in this home.","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 are mentioned in 55.2%. These are the things families notice most and care about most when choosing a home. The absence of specific observations or quotes in this report means you cannot rely on the published findings to answer the question of whether the team here is genuinely kind. When you visit, watch whether staff greet your parent by their preferred name, whether they move without hurry, and whether they make eye contact and speak to residents rather than past them.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review highlights that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal communication for people living with dementia. Staff who crouch to eye level, use a calm tone, and allow time for a response before repeating a question are demonstrating trained, person-led care. These behaviours are observable on a visit.","watch_out":"During your visit, find a moment when a member of staff is supporting a resident with a task such as a meal or movement. Watch whether they explain what they are doing before they do it, and whether they use the resident's preferred name. If you do not know the resident's preferred name, that itself tells you something."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the January 2020 inspection. This domain covers whether the home provides activities and stimulation, whether it responds to individual preferences and life histories, whether complaints are handled well, and whether end-of-life care is planned in advance. The published summary does not describe what activities are offered, how they are tailored to people with dementia, or how the home involves families in planning care. The Good rating suggests inspectors were satisfied across these areas, but no specific examples are provided.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement are mentioned positively in 21.4% of family reviews, and resident happiness is referenced in 27.1%. For people living with dementia, meaningful activity is not about entertainment. It is about maintaining a sense of identity and purpose. The Good Practice evidence base points to tailored individual activities, including everyday tasks like folding, sorting, or tending plants, as being as important as organised group sessions, particularly for people at a more advanced stage of dementia. The published findings do not tell us whether this home offers one-to-one engagement for residents who cannot join groups. Ask specifically about this on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and the inclusion of familiar everyday tasks in activity programmes are associated with reduced distress and better wellbeing for people living with dementia. Homes that rely solely on group activities leave the most vulnerable residents disengaged.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator or manager to describe what a typical day looks like for a resident with moderate to advanced dementia who is not able to join group sessions. Ask whether one-to-one time is built into the daily staffing structure, not just offered when someone has a spare moment."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2020 inspection, improving from a previous Requires Improvement rating. The home is led by Mrs Amanda Johnson, who holds the roles of both registered manager and nominated individual for the provider organisation. This dual role means she carries accountability for both day-to-day management and the provider's wider regulatory responsibilities, which is common in smaller services. The published report does not describe management culture, staff morale, how concerns are raised, or how the home monitors and improves its own quality.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good leadership in a care home is the foundation for everything else. Our Good Practice evidence base shows that leadership stability, meaning a manager who has been in post for a consistent period and who knows residents by name, is one of the strongest predictors of quality. The fact that the manager here improved the home from Requires Improvement to Good is a positive signal, because it suggests she identified what needed to change and made it happen. Communication with families is mentioned positively in 11.5% of our review data, so ask how the manager keeps families informed and how she responds when something goes wrong.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to speak up about concerns without fear, and where managers respond to feedback rather than dismissing it, consistently achieve better outcomes for residents. A culture of openness is difficult to observe from published inspection data alone, but it can be gauged on a visit.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in post, and what was the main change you made when the home moved from Requires Improvement to Good? A confident, specific answer is a good sign. Vagueness or deflection is worth noting."}

  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 home welcomes residents over 65 with various needs including dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, families particularly note how well their relatives settle here compared to other places they've tried. The building's layout seems to help with orientation, and staff clearly understand how to support residents through the adjustment period. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.