Phoenix Centre

What families say

People who've stayed here talk about finding real stability after turbulent times. Several residents describe how the atmosphere helped them feel secure and protected when they needed it most. The staff seem to have a knack for sitting with residents during difficult moments, whether that's watching films together or just being present when things feel overwhelming.

Based on 15 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 2019-01-30 · Report published 2019-01-30 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for safety at its January 2019 inspection. No specific findings about staffing ratios, medicines management, infection control, or incident learning are recorded in the published report. A monitoring review in July 2023 did not identify any concerns that would change the rating. The home is registered to care for a wide range of client groups across just six beds, which raises practical questions about how risk is managed across very different needs.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is a meaningful baseline, but it tells you more about the absence of serious failures than about day-to-day safety culture. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights that night staffing is where safety most often slips in small homes, and that reliance on agency staff can undermine consistency. With only six beds and a very broad specialism list, it is worth asking exactly who is on duty overnight and whether permanent staff know your parent well enough to notice small but significant changes. The inspection did not record specific detail on any of these points, so you will need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance are two of the strongest predictors of safety incidents in small care homes. Learning from incidents, specifically whether findings lead to visible change, is a key marker of genuine safety culture.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not a template. Note how many permanent staff were on duty overnight, whether any agency names appear, and ask what happened after the most recent fall or incident in the home."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for effectiveness at its January 2019 inspection. No specific findings about care planning, dementia training content, GP access, or food quality are recorded in the published report. The service lists dementia as a specialism alongside eating disorders, learning disabilities, substance misuse, and caring for children, a very wide range for a six-bed home. The monitoring review in July 2023 did not identify concerns, but equally did not add new detail.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a care home context means that staff know how to care for your parent's specific condition, that care plans are kept up to date, and that health needs are spotted and acted on quickly. The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should change as the person changes, not paperwork completed once at admission. Because the inspection report provides no detail on any of these areas, you are working largely on trust at this stage. Given the breadth of specialisms listed, it is particularly important to ask how staff are specifically trained for your parent's needs and how recently that training was refreshed.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that care plans function effectively only when they are reviewed regularly with family involvement and when staff dementia training goes beyond basic awareness to include communication techniques for different stages of the condition.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often your parent's care plan would be formally reviewed, who attends that review, and what specific dementia training the staff member who would know your parent best has completed in the past twelve months."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for caring at its January 2019 inspection. No inspector observations about staff interactions, use of preferred names, response to distress, or respect for dignity are recorded in the published report. No resident or family quotes are included in the published findings. The monitoring review in July 2023 did not identify concerns in this area.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive Google reviews across UK care homes, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are the things families feel most acutely when they visit. Because the inspection report records no specific observations here, you cannot rely on the published findings to answer the question of whether staff are genuinely kind. Watch for the small signals on your visit: do staff greet your parent by their preferred name, do they make eye contact, do they move without hurry? Those details matter more than any rating.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that non-verbal communication, including touch, eye contact, and unhurried pace, is as important as verbal communication for people with dementia, particularly in the later stages when language becomes unreliable.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch what happens when a resident needs help or shows signs of distress. Does a staff member respond promptly, get down to the person's level, and speak calmly? That single observation will tell you more than any document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for responsiveness at its January 2019 inspection. No specific findings about activity programmes, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning are recorded in the published report. The home lists an exceptionally broad range of specialisms for a six-bed service, which raises a practical question about how individual preferences and needs are genuinely accommodated across such different client groups. The monitoring review in July 2023 did not identify concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness accounts for 27.1% of positive family reviews, and activities and engagement account for a further 21.4%. In our Good Practice evidence base, the strongest outcomes come from tailored individual engagement, not just group sessions, with particular benefit from everyday household tasks that give people with dementia a sense of purpose and continuity. The inspection provides no information about what a typical day looks like for a resident here. With six beds and a very mixed client group, the quality of one-to-one engagement is the key question to investigate directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that Montessori-based and task-focused individual activities produce significantly better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group entertainment alone, and that homes with small bed numbers can deliver this well when staff have sufficient time and training.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records for any resident with dementia over the past month, specifically looking for evidence of one-to-one engagement on days when no group session was scheduled. Ask what happens for a resident who cannot join in a group activity."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for leadership at its January 2019 inspection. The registration record lists four named registered managers, including Miss Julie Morris, Mr Colin George F Rodgers, Ms Angela Timmins, and Mrs Helen Sigley, alongside a nominated individual, Mr Nick Henson. The presence of multiple registered managers on a six-bed service is unusual and worth clarifying. No specific findings about management culture, staff empowerment, or governance systems are recorded in the published report.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and communication with families together account for nearly 35% of the weighted family satisfaction themes in our review data. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality over time: homes where the manager changes frequently tend to see standards drift. The fact that this home lists four registered managers against six beds needs a direct explanation. Ask who is actually in day-to-day charge, how long they have been in post, and how they communicate with families when something changes. The monitoring review in July 2023 found no concerns, but that review is based on data rather than a fresh inspection visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that leadership stability, specifically manager tenure of two or more years, is one of the most reliable predictors of sustained quality in small care homes, and that cultures where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear produce better safety and care outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: who is the person in charge on a day-to-day basis, how long have they been in that role, and if you needed to raise a concern at 9pm on a Saturday, who would you call and would they be reachable? The answer will tell you a great deal about how this home is actually run."}

  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 Phoenix Centre supports people across different life stages and conditions — from children through to older adults. They're equipped to help with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health conditions, substance misuse issues, and eating disorders.. Gaps or open questions remain on While dementia is listed among their specialisms, the centre primarily focuses on mental health and disability support across all age groups. They have experience supporting older adults with dementia alongside their broader mental health services. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.