Thomas Colledge House

What families say

Families describe finding real comfort here during some of life's toughest times. The staff bring a natural kindness that helps residents feel valued and understood, particularly through the challenges of terminal illness or advancing dementia.

Based on 4 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness68
• Activities & engagement62
• Food quality60
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-10-19 · Report published 2023-10-19 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good, representing an improvement from the home's previous Requires Improvement overall position. A Good Safe rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with how the home managed risks, medicines, staffing, and infection control at the time of the visit. No specific concerns were flagged in the published summary. The home supports people with dementia and mental health conditions u2014 groups who typically have more complex safety needs u2014 so this rating carries meaningful weight. No detail about night staffing ratios or agency use is available from the published report.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good for safety means inspectors did not find gaps in medicines management, risk assessment, or safeguarding that concerned them. For families of people living with dementia, the details that matter most u2014 how many staff are on overnight, whether bank or agency staff regularly cover shifts, and how falls are logged and responded to u2014 are not visible in the published summary. Our family review data shows that attentiveness of staff is one of the top concerns families raise, and Good Practice research is clear that safety most often slips at night and during handovers. The improvement from Requires Improvement suggests the home took previous concerns seriously, but you should ask directly about night-time staffing numbers before making a decision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing is the single point where safety most frequently deteriorates in care homes, and that reliance on agency staff undermines the consistency of care that people with dementia need.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask: 'How many staff are on duty on the dementia unit after 8pm, and are they permanent staff or agency cover?' Then ask to see the falls log for the past three months to check whether incidents are being tracked and acted on."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, suggesting inspectors were satisfied with training, care planning, healthcare access, and how the home uses information to support people well. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies a particular responsibility to demonstrate dementia-specific training and care. No specific examples of care plan quality, GP access arrangements, or staff training content are reproduced in the available published text. Food quality, which falls within this domain, is also unaddressed in the summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you the home met the standard on paper u2014 care plans existed, staff had training, healthcare links were in place. What it cannot tell you is whether your parent's care plan would actually reflect who they are: their preferred name, their life history, the routines that comfort them. Our family review data consistently shows that families value dementia-specific knowledge in staff above almost everything else. Good Practice evidence confirms that care plans work best when they are treated as living documents, updated with family input, and genuinely used day-to-day rather than filed away. Ask to see a sample care plan structure on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as 'living documents' u2014 their value lies not in their existence but in how frequently they are reviewed with family involvement and how directly they shape day-to-day interactions between staff and the person living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask: 'How often are care plans reviewed, and would I be invited to take part in that review?' Then ask what dementia training the permanent care staff have completed in the past 12 months and whether it covers non-verbal communication."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain received a Good rating, which covers warmth of staff interactions, dignity, respect, and how well the home supports people's independence. Staff warmth and compassion are the two highest-weighted themes in our family review data, accounting for over 55% of what families tell us matters most. No direct quotes from residents or relatives are reproduced in the available inspection summary, which limits how confidently we can describe what the day-to-day experience felt like to inspectors. The improvement from Requires Improvement suggests the home addressed prior concerns about how care was delivered.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest factor in family satisfaction with a care home, and a Good Caring rating is a meaningful baseline. However, the absence of specific observations in the published report means you cannot yet picture what your mum or dad's daily experience would feel like. Good Practice research highlights that for people living with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 a calm tone, unhurried pace, respectful physical contact u2014 matters as much as words. When you visit, pay attention to how staff speak to residents in corridors and communal areas, not just in a formal meeting with the manager. That is where the real culture of a home reveals itself.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know individuals well u2014 their history, preferences, and triggers u2014 and that warm, consistent relationships are central to reducing distress in people living with dementia.","watch_out":"On your visit, walk through a communal area unaccompanied if possible and watch how staff interact with residents who are not directly asking for help. Are staff making eye contact, using names, and moving at the resident's pace u2014 or are they task-focused and hurried?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, indicating inspectors were satisfied with how well the home tailored its care to individuals, offered meaningful activities, and responded to complaints and changing needs. The home supports people with a range of conditions including dementia, mental health conditions, and sensory impairments, which demands a genuinely individualised approach to activities and engagement. No specific examples of activity programmes, individual engagement, or complaint outcomes are available in the published summary. End-of-life planning is also not addressed in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities matter more than many families expect when choosing a care home. Our review data shows resident happiness u2014 which is closely tied to meaningful engagement u2014 is one of the top eight concerns families raise. For people in later stages of dementia who cannot participate in group activities, one-to-one engagement becomes essential, and Good Practice research shows that Montessori-based approaches and familiar household tasks can sustain a sense of purpose and identity even in advanced dementia. A Good Responsive rating is encouraging, but ask specifically what happens on a quiet Tuesday afternoon for someone who cannot join a group session u2014 that is the real test of responsiveness.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that tailored individual activities u2014 not group programmes u2014 are the strongest predictor of wellbeing in people with advanced dementia, and that everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, and gardening provide continuity with previous identity.","watch_out":"Ask: 'If my parent can't join a group activity, what one-to-one engagement would they receive, and how is that planned and recorded?' Ask to see the activity schedule for the past two weeks, not just a planned timetable."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and the home's overall improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains is the clearest evidence that leadership has functioned effectively. The home is run by Derbyshire County Council with a named Nominated Individual. No specific observations about the manager's tenure, visibility on the floor, staff culture, or how the home handles complaints are reproduced in the available published text. It is also important to note that this home was deregistered in February 2026, which raises questions about the stability of the service beyond the inspection date.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of a home's quality trajectory u2014 a settled, visible manager who is known to staff, residents, and families creates the conditions for everything else to work well. The improvement from Requires Improvement shows the leadership team can respond to challenge, which matters. However, the deregistration of this service in February 2026 is significant context: a home that has closed cannot be assessed in its current form, and any family considering a similar home should treat these findings as historical rather than current. If you are using this report to understand what to look for in another home, management visibility and staff empowerment are the key questions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory more reliably than any single inspection metric, and that homes where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear deliver consistently better care than those where culture is top-down.","watch_out":"When visiting any similar home, ask: 'How long has the current manager been in post, and are there any planned changes to the management team?' Then ask a care worker u2014 not the manager u2014 what they would do if they were worried about a resident's care."}

  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 people with sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and mental health conditions alongside their dementia care. They support younger adults under 65 as well as older residents.. Gaps or open questions remain on Their approach to dementia focuses on maintaining each person's dignity through every stage of their condition. Staff work to keep residents feeling content and respected, whether they're newly diagnosed or in later stages. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.