The Rock Care Home and Domiciliary Care

What families say

Visitors often comment on how well looked after residents are here. There's something reassuring about the way both the owners and carers approach their work — it's clear they genuinely care about the people they support.

Based on 3 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 & leadership70
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-06-17 · Report published 2022-06-17 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the May 2022 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This means the inspector was satisfied that risks to your parent were being identified and managed, medicines were handled safely, and staffing was considered adequate at the time. The home supports people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, all of which carry specific safety considerations. No specific incidents, falls data, or infection control observations are described in the published summary. The improvement from the previous rating is the most meaningful safety signal available.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, a Good Safety rating after a period of Requires Improvement suggests the home took its previous shortcomings seriously and made real changes. That improvement trajectory matters u2014 homes that learn from criticism are generally safer than those that coast on a historic good rating. However, our family review data highlights that night-time attentiveness is one of the areas families worry about most in smaller homes. With 14 beds, night staffing ratios deserve a direct question. Good Practice evidence consistently shows that safety incidents u2014 particularly falls and medication errors u2014 cluster in the hours after 8pm when staffing is thinner.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that night staffing ratios and the consistency of night-shift staff are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in residential dementia care, independent of overall inspection rating.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask: 'How many staff are on duty overnight, and is there always a senior member of staff u2014 not just a carer u2014 present in the building after midnight?' For a 14-bed home, the answer matters enormously."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering training, care planning, nutrition, healthcare access, and how well staff understand and respond to individual needs. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies a baseline of relevant training, but no specific training programmes, care plan examples, or evidence of GP access frequency appear in the published text. A Good Effective rating typically means inspectors reviewed records and found care plans in place and staff demonstrating relevant knowledge. The improvement from the previous rating suggests prior gaps in this area have been addressed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, Effective being rated Good means inspectors were satisfied that staff broadly know what they are doing and that care records reflect individual needs. But 'good enough for inspection' and 'truly personalised' are not always the same thing. Our family review data shows that food quality and genuine choice u2014 not just adequate nutrition u2014 is one of the eight things families notice most. Good Practice evidence highlights that care plans should be living documents, reviewed with families regularly, not static paperwork. Ask to see a blank care plan template and ask when your parent's plan would next be formally reviewed with you present.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (2026) identifies regular, family-inclusive care plan reviews as a key marker of genuinely effective dementia care u2014 homes that treat the plan as a conversation rather than a document tend to catch declining needs earlier.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'How often is my parent's care plan formally reviewed, and will I be invited to contribute to that review in person?' A specific date and a named contact person is the answer you are looking for."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether your parent's independence is supported rather than managed away. This is the domain families feel most viscerally, and it carries the heaviest weight in our family scoring u2014 staff warmth and compassion together account for over 112 percentage points of weighted importance in what families tell us matters. Unfortunately, the published inspection summary for The Rock Care Home contains no direct quotes from residents or families and no specific inspector observations of staff interactions. The Good rating is therefore confirmed but unillustrated.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Caring rating tells you the inspector was satisfied u2014 but it does not tell you whether the staff call your dad by his preferred name, whether they sit with him when he is distressed, or whether they know he hates being rushed at mealtimes. Our family review data shows that 57.3% of positive reviews mention staff warmth unprompted u2014 it is the single biggest driver of family confidence. Good Practice evidence is clear that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, eye contact, pace u2014 is as important as what staff say. A visit during a meal or a quiet afternoon will tell you more than any inspection report.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett / IFF Research evidence review (2026) found that staff who demonstrate genuine curiosity about a person's life history u2014 not just their care needs u2014 produce measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia, including reduced distress behaviours.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch what happens when a resident becomes confused or upset in a communal area. Do staff slow down, make eye contact, and use the person's name u2014 or do they redirect quickly and move on? That five-second response tells you more than a policy document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and end-of-life planning. For a 14-bed home with a dementia specialism, responsiveness means tailoring daily life to each person u2014 not running a group activity timetable and calling it enough. The published report contains no description of specific activities offered, no mention of one-to-one engagement for residents who cannot join groups, and no detail about end-of-life planning practices. The Good rating confirms the inspector was satisfied, but the absence of specifics makes it impossible to say what daily life actually looks like.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, a Responsive rating means the home was judged to be meeting individual needs rather than running a one-size-fits-all programme. Our family review data shows activities and engagement score 21.4% weight u2014 families notice when their parent is sitting alone and unoccupied. Good Practice evidence is particularly strong here: Montessori-based approaches, everyday household tasks, and one-to-one engagement for people with advanced dementia produce significantly better outcomes than group activities alone. A small home like this has the potential to offer genuinely individual attention u2014 but only if it is staffed and organised to do so.","evidence_base":"The 2026 Good Practice evidence review found that meaningful one-to-one engagement u2014 including simple domestic tasks like folding, gardening, or sorting u2014 reduces agitation and improves wellbeing in people with moderate to advanced dementia more reliably than organised group activities.","watch_out":"Ask: 'For a resident who can no longer join group activities, what does a typical afternoon look like? Who sits with them, and how often?' If the answer is vague, probe further u2014 'Can you give me a specific example from last week?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and the leadership structure here is notable: Mr Daniel James Wilson is simultaneously the registered manager, the nominated individual, and the organisation running the home. This means one person carries full accountability. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains in a single inspection cycle suggests that leadership has been effective in driving change. However, the published summary contains no detail about staff culture, how the team is supported, how concerns are raised, or how the home engages with families at a governance level.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For you as a family member, having the owner and manager as the same person can be both a strength and a risk. The strength is clear accountability u2014 there is nobody to pass the buck to. The risk is that if Mr Wilson leaves or is unavailable, the leadership structure could be fragile. Our family review data shows communication with the management team is one of the things families value most highly. Good Practice evidence identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality u2014 homes where the manager has been in post for more than two years consistently perform better over time. Ask how long Mr Wilson has been running the home and what the deputy or senior structure looks like.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) found that management stability u2014 particularly a consistent registered manager in post for two or more years u2014 is one of the most reliable predictors of sustained Good or Outstanding performance, independent of inspection rating alone.","watch_out":"Ask directly: 'How long has Daniel Wilson been running the home, and who is in charge when he is away? Is there a named deputy or senior manager, and how many days a week are they here?' A confident, specific answer is what you need."}

  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 Rock provides specialist support for people with sensory impairments, dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. They welcome adults over 65 who need that extra bit of help.. Gaps or open questions remain on For families dealing with dementia, the home offers dedicated support. Their experience with dementia care means they understand the unique challenges families face. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.