The Andover Nursing Home

What families say

Based on 6 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality60
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership45
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-06-08 · Report published 2019-06-08 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home identifies and responds to risk. No specific concerns were raised in the Safe domain. The full published report was not available at the time of this analysis, so the specific detail behind the Good rating is not known.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety is reassuring, but for an 87-bed home covering dementia, mental health, and nursing needs, the detail behind that rating matters enormously. Our review data shows that staff attentiveness is mentioned in around 14% of positive family reviews, and night staffing is the area where safety most commonly slips in homes of this size, according to the Good Practice evidence base. The published summary does not confirm night staffing ratios or agency use, which are two of the most important practical safety signals. Ask specifically about both before you commit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios are the single most common point where safety standards deteriorate in care homes, particularly in larger homes with complex needs. Consistent, permanent staff who know individual residents are significantly safer than high agency use.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you last week's actual night staffing rota for the dementia unit, not the planned template. Count how many of those names are permanent staff versus agency, and ask what the minimum night staffing level is for the whole building."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This domain covers how well the home assesses and plans care, including dementia-specific training, nutrition, healthcare access, and whether care plans function as living documents. Dementia is listed as a formal specialism, which implies a level of trained expertise. The full report detail behind the Good rating was not available for this analysis.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good effectiveness means inspectors were satisfied that the home knows how to plan and deliver care properly. For a parent with dementia, this is particularly important because good care planning, regular GP access, and dementia-specific training can make the difference between a settled and an unsettled experience. Food quality, covered under this domain, is rated as one of the top eight things families mention in positive reviews (20.9% of positive reviews reference food). The inspection summary does not tell us specifically about mealtimes or how care plans are reviewed, so these are worth observing and asking about.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans function best as living documents updated with family input after every significant change in a person's condition. Homes where families are actively involved in care plan reviews report higher satisfaction scores and fewer unmet needs.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample (anonymised) care plan and check when it was last reviewed and whether a family member signed off on it. Also ask how often the GP visits the home proactively, not just when called in an emergency."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This covers how staff treat residents with warmth and respect, whether privacy and dignity are maintained, and whether residents are supported to be as independent as possible. No concerns were raised in this domain. The specific inspector observations and resident or relative testimony that underpinned the Good rating were not available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data: 57.3% of positive reviews mention it directly, and compassion and dignity together account for another 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring is a positive signal, but because no specific observations or quotes were available in the published summary, you cannot rely solely on the rating. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal, particularly for people with advanced dementia who cannot easily report how they feel. Watch how staff move and speak on a corridor walk.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual's history, preferences, and communication style. Homes where staff use preferred names consistently and approach residents without hurrying score significantly higher on resident wellbeing measures.","watch_out":"When you visit, walk through a communal area or corridor during a care moment such as mealtime or a transfer. Notice whether staff use your parent's preferred name, make eye contact, and move without hurrying. These observable behaviours are more reliable than any rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This covers how well the home tailors care to individual preferences, the quality and variety of its activities programme, how it handles complaints, and end-of-life care planning. The home lists a broad range of specialisms, which suggests it is experienced in responding to varied and complex needs. Specific activity examples or end-of-life care detail were not included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness for 27.1%. A Good rating in Responsive is encouraging, but for a parent with moderate or advanced dementia who may not be able to join group activities, the critical question is whether the home also offers one-to-one engagement. The Good Practice evidence review consistently shows that Montessori-based and familiar everyday task approaches work better than organised group sessions for people with advanced dementia, and these are harder to observe from a rating alone.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that individual, tailored activity including household tasks such as folding, watering plants, and simple cooking is more effective at reducing anxiety and improving wellbeing in advanced dementia than group-only programmes. Homes that rely exclusively on scheduled group activities risk leaving the most vulnerable residents without meaningful engagement.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe specifically what happens for a resident with advanced dementia who cannot take part in a group session. Ask for a concrete example from the past week, not a general description of the programme."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Requires Improvement at the June 2025 inspection. This is the only domain where the home fell below Good. The registered manager is Miss Louise Makepeace, and the nominated individual is Dr Ramneek Greywall. The specific concerns identified by inspectors were not detailed in the published summary available for this analysis. The home is registered and not dormant, and there is no indication that it is at risk of closure.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality and leadership stability are among the most important predictors of whether a care home maintains or improves its standards over time. In our review data, management and leadership account for 23.4% of family satisfaction. A Requires Improvement rating in this domain does not mean the home is unsafe, but it does mean inspectors found something that needed to change. Without knowing the specific concerns, it is difficult to assess how serious they are. This is the area that requires the most direct questioning before you make a decision.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that leadership stability is the strongest single predictor of care quality trajectory. Homes where managers are visible, known to staff and residents, and where staff feel able to raise concerns, consistently outperform those where governance systems are weak even when day-to-day care appears adequate.","watch_out":"Before your visit, email the manager and ask: what specific concerns did the inspection identify in the Well-led domain, what actions have been taken since June 2025, and when is the home expecting a follow-up review? On your visit, ask a care worker (not a manager) how long they have worked there and whether they feel comfortable raising concerns. Their answer will tell you more than any documentation."}

  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 here supports residents with sensory impairments, dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. They also welcome younger adults who need nursing care, not just those over 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the nursing team brings specialist knowledge to help manage the daily challenges this condition presents. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.