Ada Belfield Centre
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Residential homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds40
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2022-01-06
- Activities programmeThe private rooms each have their own en-suite bathroom, giving residents proper privacy and dignity. Families consistently mention how clean everything is — not just surface-tidy but properly maintained throughout. The food gets regular praise too, with meals that residents actually look forward to rather than just tolerate.
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families talk about the difference those first few days make here. Staff reach out before residents arrive, learning about preferences and worries, then follow through with genuine attention once they've moved in. People mention feeling heard and reassured during what can be such an anxious time.
Based on 30 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth55
- Compassion & dignity60
- Cleanliness55
- Activities & engagement50
- Food quality50
- Healthcare50
- Management & leadership65
- Resident happiness55
What inspectors found
Inspected 2022-01-06 · Report published 2022-01-06 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The Safety domain was rated Requires Improvement at the December 2021 inspection. The published summary does not specify which aspects of safety fell short. The home supports people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, all of which carry specific safety considerations. A review of available information in July 2023 did not prompt a reassessment of the rating, but that review was based on data rather than a fresh inspection visit. The Safety rating remains the single most important concern for any family considering this home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Safety is the finding that should give you the most pause. In our review data, safe environment is mentioned in 11.8% of positive family reviews, and staff attentiveness in 14%, but families rarely write positively about safety when something has gone wrong. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance as the areas where safety is most likely to slip in a care home. Because the published text gives no detail about what the inspectors found, you cannot assume the issue was minor. Ask the manager to explain the specific findings from the 2021 inspection and to show you evidence of what changed afterwards.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies learning from safety incidents as a reliable marker of leadership quality. Homes that record, review, and act on incidents consistently outperform those that treat them as one-off events. Ask to see the incident log and whether patterns are discussed at staff meetings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: what specifically did the December 2021 inspection find under Safety, what actions did the home take in response, and has there been any follow-up inspection or audit since then? If they cannot answer clearly and specifically, treat that as a warning sign."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the December 2021 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, access to healthcare professionals, nutrition, and hydration. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies that staff should have relevant training, though the published summary provides no detail about training content or frequency. No specific findings about care plan quality, GP access, or food are described in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is reassuring but tells you relatively little on its own, because the published summary contains no specific detail to support it. Food quality appears in 20.9% of positive family reviews, and healthcare access in 20.2%, making both important to verify directly. Good Practice research highlights care plans as living documents that should be updated whenever your parent's needs change, not just reviewed annually. Because this inspection is now over three years old, ask how care plans are currently reviewed and whether the home can show you an example of a plan that was updated in response to a change in someone's health.","evidence_base":"Research from the IFF and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia training which goes beyond basic awareness, covering communication, behaviour that challenges, and non-verbal cues, is associated with measurably better outcomes for residents. Ask specifically what training permanent staff have completed, not just what is scheduled.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often are care plans formally reviewed, who is involved in that review, and can families request a review meeting at any time? Then ask to see the training records for one or two permanent staff members to check that dementia training is up to date."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the December 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. The published summary does not include specific inspector observations about staff interactions, use of preferred names, or how residents with dementia are supported to make choices. No quotes from residents or relatives are included in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, appearing in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity appear in 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in the pace of a conversation, whether a carer knocks before entering a room, and whether your mum is addressed by the name she prefers rather than a generic term. A Good rating here is encouraging, but because the published text contains no specific supporting detail, you will need to observe these things yourself on a visit. Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal communication for people with advanced dementia, so watch how staff approach and make eye contact with residents, not just what they say.","evidence_base":"Person-led care requires staff to know the individual, not just their diagnosis. Good Practice evidence shows that homes where staff can describe a resident's personal history, preferred routines, and past interests deliver measurably better quality of life, even for people who can no longer communicate verbally.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas when they think no one is paying particular attention. Are residents addressed by their preferred name? Do staff stop, make eye contact, and allow time for a response, or do interactions feel hurried?"}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the December 2021 inspection. This domain covers how well the home tailors care to individual needs, the quality and variety of activities, and arrangements for end-of-life care. The published summary provides no specific detail about activities, engagement for people with advanced dementia, or how the home responds to changing needs. The home supports people with a range of conditions, including dementia and sensory impairment, which requires genuinely individualised approaches.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement appear in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness in 27.1%, making this domain highly relevant to your decision. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with moderate or advanced dementia: one-to-one engagement, including everyday household tasks and familiar routines, has a stronger evidence base for wellbeing than scheduled group programmes. A Good rating here is a baseline, but visit on an ordinary weekday afternoon rather than during a planned event to see what engagement actually looks like for residents who cannot join group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-centred individual activities, where a person with dementia is supported to do something purposeful and familiar, produce better mood and engagement outcomes than passive group activities. Ask how the home supports residents who cannot participate in group settings.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you the last four weeks of actual activity records, not just the planned schedule. Then ask specifically: what happens for a resident with advanced dementia who cannot join a group session on a typical afternoon?"}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the December 2021 inspection. This domain covers leadership culture, governance, accountability, and how the home handles feedback and complaints. The nominated individual listed for the home is Simon Stevens, and the provider is Derbyshire County Council. The published summary contains no specific detail about the manager's tenure, staff culture, or how the home handles complaints and suggestions from families.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership appear in 23.4% of positive family reviews, and communication with families in 11.5%. Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of quality over time: homes with a settled, experienced manager consistently outperform those with frequent turnover. A Good rating here is positive, but because the inspection is now over three years old, you should ask directly whether the same manager is still in post, how long they have been there, and how the home has developed since 2021. Communication with families is also worth testing before you commit: ask how the home would contact you if your parent had a fall, a change in medication, or a difficult night.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research shows that homes where staff feel safe to raise concerns without fear of reprisal have better safety records and better resident outcomes. A culture of openness starts with leadership, and you can gauge it by how directly and specifically the manager answers your harder questions.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post and what the biggest change they have made since the December 2021 inspection has been. A confident, specific answer is a good sign. Vague or defensive answers warrant further investigation before you make a decision."}
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 centre supports people with various needs including dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the centre provides specialist support within the same caring environment. The consistent staff approach and familiar routines help create stability and reassurance. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Ada Belfield Centre scores 68 out of 100. Four out of five domains were rated Good at the last inspection, but the Safety domain was rated Requires Improvement, which pulls the overall family score down and raises specific questions you will want to put directly to the home before making a decision.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families talk about the difference those first few days make here. Staff reach out before residents arrive, learning about preferences and worries, then follow through with genuine attention once they've moved in. People mention feeling heard and reassured during what can be such an anxious time.
What inspectors have recorded
What comes through in family feedback is how staff balance being professional with being genuinely caring. They're attentive without being intrusive, helpful without making residents feel dependent. When families raise concerns or questions, they find staff responsive and willing to act.
How it sits against good practice
Sometimes the best measure of a care home is in the relief you see on families' faces when they visit.
Worth a visit
Ada Belfield Centre, on Derwent Street in Belper, was inspected in December 2021 and rated Good overall, with Good ratings in four of the five inspection domains: Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. The home is run by Derbyshire County Council and supports up to 40 people, including adults living with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. A subsequent review of information in July 2023 found no reason to change the rating. Those four Good domains suggest that, at the time of inspection, the home was delivering care that met required standards for kindness, planning, responsiveness to individuals, and leadership. The main uncertainty here is the Requires Improvement rating in the Safety domain. This is significant and you should not overlook it. The published summary does not explain what specifically the inspectors found in relation to safety, so you will need to ask the manager directly what the concerns were, what actions were taken in response, and whether a follow-up inspection has since confirmed improvement. Because the last full inspection was in December 2021, the findings are now more than three years old. Staffing levels, management stability, and day-to-day culture can all shift considerably in that time. Visit in person, ask to see the current staffing rota, and speak to any residents or family members you encounter during your visit.
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In Their Own Words
How Ada Belfield Centre describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where careful attention meets genuine warmth in Belper
Residential home in Belper: True Peace of Mind
When you step into Ada Belfield Centre in Belper, what strikes families first is how staff take time to really listen. This East Midlands care home has built its reputation on the small details that matter — from spotless rooms to thoughtful conversations that help new residents settle in comfortably.
Who they care for
The centre supports people with various needs including dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.
For residents living with dementia, the centre provides specialist support within the same caring environment. The consistent staff approach and familiar routines help create stability and reassurance.
Management & ethos
What comes through in family feedback is how staff balance being professional with being genuinely caring. They're attentive without being intrusive, helpful without making residents feel dependent. When families raise concerns or questions, they find staff responsive and willing to act.
The home & environment
The private rooms each have their own en-suite bathroom, giving residents proper privacy and dignity. Families consistently mention how clean everything is — not just surface-tidy but properly maintained throughout. The food gets regular praise too, with meals that residents actually look forward to rather than just tolerate.
“Sometimes the best measure of a care home is in the relief you see on families' faces when they visit.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
