Windermere Grange

What families say

Visitors describe finding a warm atmosphere when they arrive at Windermere Grange. The environment feels pleasant and welcoming, with residents appearing settled and comfortable in their surroundings.

Based on 14 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement45
• Food quality60
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness65

What inspectors found

Inspected 2024-02-24 · Report published 2024-02-24 · Inspected 6 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the January 2024 inspection. This indicates that the home met the required standard for keeping people safe from harm, managing medicines appropriately, and maintaining adequate staffing. The published report text does not include specific observations about night staffing ratios, falls management, or infection control, so the detail behind this rating is not available in the published findings. The home has been inspected six times and has shown an improving trend from a previous Requires Improvement overall rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safe is reassuring, but it tells you the threshold was met, not necessarily how comfortably. Good Practice research consistently identifies night-time as the period when safety most commonly slips in residential care, particularly in homes supporting people with dementia who may be wakeful or at risk of falls. The published report gives no detail about night staffing ratios, which is significant for a 64-bed home. Ask for this information directly. Agency staff usage is another variable the report does not address: high agency reliance in a dementia setting means your parent may regularly be cared for by people who do not know their routines, preferences, or triggers.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and agency staff dependency are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in dementia care settings, yet both are frequently under-reported in published inspection findings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts on the dementia unit were covered by agency staff, and ask how many carers are on duty overnight for all 64 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the January 2024 inspection. This covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies that relevant training is in place, and a Good rating in this domain suggests care plans and healthcare referrals meet the required standard. The published report text does not describe specific dementia training content, how often care plans are reviewed, or how meals are managed for people with swallowing difficulties or changing appetites.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For families choosing a home for a parent with dementia, the Effective domain is where you look for evidence that staff know what they are doing beyond basic care. A Good rating here is positive, but the detail matters. The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated when your parent's needs change, not just reviewed annually. Twenty point two per cent of positive family reviews in our data mention healthcare responsiveness by name, particularly prompt GP referrals and proactive health monitoring. Food quality is similarly significant: 20.9% of positive reviews reference it, yet the published findings give no detail about meal choice or dietary management at Windermere Grange.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training, when it includes communication techniques and non-verbal recognition of pain or distress, significantly improves both safety outcomes and resident wellbeing. Generic care training alone is not sufficient for a specialist dementia setting.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to describe the dementia training that all care staff complete, including how often it is refreshed and whether it covers non-verbal communication and recognition of pain in people who cannot self-report. Then ask when your parent's care plan would next be reviewed and whether you would be invited to take part."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2024 inspection. This covers how staff treat the people who live at the home: whether they are warm, respectful, and attentive to dignity and independence. A Good rating here is encouraging and suggests inspectors were satisfied with the standard of interactions they observed. The published report text does not include specific quotes from residents or relatives, nor does it describe particular examples of staff behaviour or dignity-preserving practice.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data: 57.3% of positive reviews name it explicitly, and 55.2% mention compassion and dignity. A Good rating in Caring is a positive signal, but because the published report gives no specific examples, it is difficult to know what inspectors saw. Good Practice research is clear that in dementia care, how staff communicate matters as much as what they do: using preferred names, moving without hurry, and recognising distress in people who cannot use words are the observable behaviours that make the real difference. These are the things to look for yourself on a visit, because no published report can fully capture them.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that non-verbal communication and unhurried, person-led interaction are among the most significant predictors of wellbeing for people living with dementia, and that these behaviours are rarely captured adequately in inspection documentation.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch how staff greet your parent or another resident in a corridor or communal area. Do they make eye contact, use the person's name, and pause without rushing? Ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name is and how they would know if your parent was in pain or distress."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Requires Improvement at the January 2024 inspection. This is the one domain that fell below the Good standard and covers whether the home tailors its care and activities to each individual, responds to concerns, and meets the specific needs of each person. The published report text does not detail the specific reasons for this rating, so the precise gap that inspectors identified is not clear from the available findings. This rating is significant for any family considering the home for a parent with dementia.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement in Responsive is the finding that should concern you most on this page. In our family review data, 21.4% of positive reviews specifically mention activities and meaningful engagement, and 27.1% mention residents appearing settled and content. When this domain falls short, it usually means that the home's activity programme is group-focused and does not reach people who cannot join in, or that individual preferences are not reliably translated into daily routines. For a parent with dementia, passive days sitting in a chair without engagement are not neutral: Good Practice evidence shows they are associated with faster cognitive decline, increased agitation, and poorer physical health. The home has an opportunity to improve here, but you need to understand what the specific problem was before you decide.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that tailored one-to-one activity, including Montessori-based approaches and familiar household tasks, produces measurable improvements in wellbeing and reduces distressed behaviour in people with dementia, even in the later stages of the condition.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you the record of what your parent's equivalent (a person at a similar stage of dementia) actually did last Tuesday, not what was on the planned schedule. Ask specifically what happens for residents who cannot join group sessions on an evening or at the weekend, and who is responsible for one-to-one engagement at those times."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2024 inspection. The home is run by St Martin's Care Limited, with Mrs Donna Marie Jones as registered manager and Mrs Hayley Louise Robertshaw as nominated individual. A Good Well-led rating suggests that governance, accountability, and management oversight meet the required standard. The overall improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating to Good is a positive trajectory indicator. No specific detail about manager visibility, staff culture, complaint handling, or learning from incidents is available in the published report text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Good Practice research identifies homes where the manager is well known to both staff and the people who live there as consistently outperforming those with frequent management changes. The fact that Windermere Grange has moved from Requires Improvement to Good overall, with a named registered manager in place, is a positive sign. However, the Responsive domain still requiring improvement suggests there is work in progress, and the quality of that improvement will depend heavily on whether the management team translates its governance strengths into visible daily change on the floor. Families tell us in our review data that they value feeling informed: 11.5% of positive reviews name communication with the family as a key factor. Ask the manager directly how they would keep you updated if your parent's condition changed.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that leadership models which empower frontline staff to raise concerns and make small decisions about individual residents' days, rather than requiring escalation for everything, are associated with better resident outcomes and lower staff turnover.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at Windermere Grange, and ask what specific steps have been taken since the last inspection to address the Requires Improvement finding in Responsive. A manager who can give you a clear, specific answer is a better sign than one who speaks only in general terms about commitment to improvement."}

  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 team at Windermere Grange specialises in supporting people over 65, including those with dementia and adults with learning disabilities. This combination of expertise means they're equipped to care for residents with varying and complex needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, Windermere Grange provides specialist care tailored to their changing needs. The team understands the importance of creating a supportive environment that helps maintain dignity and quality of life. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.