Acer Court Care Home – Avery Healthcare

What families say

Families describe finding their relatives genuinely attached to the home, with renewed enthusiasm that shows in their faces. Residents participate eagerly in exercise classes and entertainment, with staff joining in rather than just supervising. The atmosphere feels unhurried and warm, with residents expressing real happiness about being there.

Based on 47 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement85
• Food quality60
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-11-21 · Report published 2019-11-21 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the last full inspection in November 2019, and this rating was not changed at the July 2023 monitoring review. The inspection text available does not include specific observations about staffing numbers, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control practice. No concerns were raised in this domain. The home accommodates 78 people, which means night-time safety and consistent staffing across a large building are important practical questions for any family considering a place here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safe is a baseline, not a guarantee, and the published findings give you little detail to go on. Good Practice research consistently finds that safety is most likely to slip at night, when staffing ratios are lower and oversight is reduced. In a home of 78 beds, understanding how many permanent carers are on after 8pm is one of the most important questions you can ask. Our family review data shows that 14% of positive reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as a reason families feel their parent is safe, which reflects how much visible, responsive staff presence matters to families day to day.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of safety risk in care homes, because unfamiliar staff are less likely to notice subtle changes in a resident's condition or behaviour. Asking specifically about agency use on nights is one of the most useful things you can do before choosing a home.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a staffing template. Count how many of the names on night shifts are permanent employees and how many are from agencies."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the last full inspection in November 2019, and this was unchanged at the July 2023 monitoring review. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered dementia-specific training and care planning as part of their assessment. The published text does not include specific detail about training content, GP access arrangements, medication management, or how care plans are written and reviewed. No concerns were raised in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating here suggests the home meets expected standards for training and care planning, but the evidence behind that rating is not visible in the published text. Food quality is one of the themes families mention most often in our review data, accounting for 20.9% of the weighting in positive reviews, and yet there is nothing in the published findings about mealtimes, menu choice, or how the home supports people who have difficulty swallowing or eating independently. If your parent has a specific dietary need or takes multiple medications, ask the home directly how both are managed and who oversees that on a day-to-day basis.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed regularly with family involvement, not completed once and filed. Homes that treat care plans as ongoing records of a person's changing preferences tend to deliver more consistent, person-centred care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often your parent's care plan would be formally reviewed, whether families are invited to those reviews, and what dementia-specific training the staff who would care for your parent have completed in the past 12 months."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the last full inspection in November 2019, and this was not changed at the July 2023 monitoring review. A Good rating in this domain requires inspectors to have found evidence of respectful, dignified, and kind staff interactions. The published text does not include any direct quotes from residents or relatives about how they feel treated, and no specific observations about staff behaviour, use of preferred names, or response to distress are recorded in the available summary.","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 reviews, and compassion and dignity account for a further 55.2%. What families are describing in those reviews is observable: staff who use your parent's preferred name, who do not rush personal care, who notice when someone is unsettled. The Good rating here suggests these things were present, but the published text gives you nothing specific to compare with what you observe on a visit. Watch how staff speak to and move around residents in communal areas, not just in a formal meeting with the manager.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with dementia. Staff who make eye contact, move calmly, and position themselves at the same level as a seated resident are demonstrating person-led care in ways that are visible and observable by families during any visit.","watch_out":"During your visit, spend time in a communal area and notice whether staff address people by name, whether interactions feel unhurried, and how a member of staff responds if someone appears confused or distressed."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Outstanding at the last full inspection in November 2019, and this rating remained in place at the July 2023 monitoring review. An Outstanding rating in this domain is relatively rare and indicates that inspectors found strong, specific evidence of activities and individual care that went beyond what is typically expected. The published text does not reproduce the specific findings that led to this rating, which limits what can be independently verified from the available summary. The home is registered to support people with dementia and physical disabilities, both of which require responsive care to be adapted to individual need and changing capability.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding Responsive rating is the strongest signal this inspection offers, and it is directly relevant if your parent is living with dementia. Our family review data shows that activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive reviews and resident happiness for 27.1%, and an Outstanding rating in this domain suggests the home was performing well against both. The Good Practice evidence base highlights the importance of one-to-one activities for people who cannot participate in group sessions, as well as the value of everyday tasks such as folding, gardening, or simple cooking for maintaining a sense of purpose and continuity. Ask specifically about how these are provided, because an Outstanding rating from 2019 may or may not reflect what is happening in 2024.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-oriented individual activities are significantly more effective for people with moderate to advanced dementia than group entertainment programmes. Homes that plan individual engagement, not just group activities, tend to show better wellbeing outcomes for residents who are less able to initiate contact themselves.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical day looks like for a resident with moderate dementia who does not want to join group sessions. Ask for a copy of last week's activity schedule, not a template, and find out how many one-to-one sessions were recorded."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the last full inspection in November 2019, and this was not changed at the July 2023 monitoring review. A named registered manager, Miss Gemma Wallbanks, and a nominated individual, Mrs Natasha Southall, are recorded as responsible for the home. The published text does not include specific findings about management culture, staff feedback mechanisms, governance processes, or how the home handles complaints. No concerns were raised in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Having a named, registered manager in post is a positive signal, and Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. However, the published findings do not tell you how long the current manager has been in post, whether staff feel able to raise concerns, or how the home handles complaints from families. Communication with families accounts for 11.5% of the weighting in our positive review data, and this is one area where a visit and a direct conversation with the manager will tell you far more than the inspection text can. Ask how the home would contact you if something changed for your parent, and listen for specificity in the answer.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review identified leadership stability as one of the most reliable predictors of quality trajectory in care homes. Homes where the manager is visible, known to residents and staff by name, and has been in post for more than 12 months consistently outperform homes experiencing frequent management change.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in their current role at Acer Court, and ask staff you meet during the visit whether they feel supported to raise concerns. A manager who is comfortable with that question being asked directly is usually a good sign."}

  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 provides specialist dementia care alongside support for physical disabilities, caring for adults over 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff show particular skill in helping residents with dementia feel settled and content. The team understands how to support individual needs while maintaining each person's dignity and engagement with daily life. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.