Ashbrook Nursing home

What families say

Families describe activity staff who understand what brings joy to individual residents. Whether through music sessions, gentle exercises, or simply meaningful conversation, the team works to maintain purpose and connection. Some residents who arrived withdrawn have found renewed engagement through these programmes.

Based on 26 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 2023-09-05 · Report published 2023-09-05 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Requires Improvement at the July 2023 inspection, meaning inspectors identified at least one area of concern that had not been sufficiently addressed. This is the only domain rated below Good at this inspection. The published summary does not specify which aspect of safety prompted the rating, whether staffing numbers, medicines management, falls prevention, or infection control. The home has been inspected three times, and safety has been a recurring area of focus. Families should treat this rating as a prompt to ask detailed questions before making a decision.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement in Safe is the finding that should sit at the top of your checklist. Good Practice research identifies night-time staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in care homes, and agency staff reliance undermines the consistency that people with dementia depend on. Our family review data shows that 14% of positive reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as a reason for satisfaction, which means when it is missing, families notice. You cannot fully assess safety from the published summary alone, so ask to see the actual staffing rota for last week and the medicines administration records. The home's improvement from its previous overall Requires Improvement rating is encouraging, but safety concerns need direct answers, not reassurances.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that night-time staffing ratios are one of the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes, and that high agency staff usage is consistently linked to reduced continuity of care for people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency names appear on the night shifts, and ask what the minimum number of staff on duty overnight is for the 70-bed home."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the skills and knowledge to provide good care, whether care plans are based on individuals' needs and preferences, and whether the home works well with GPs and other health professionals. A Good rating here suggests training, care planning, and health oversight are broadly in order. The published findings do not include specific examples of care plan content, dementia training programmes, or GP access arrangements, so the detail behind the rating is not available here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is reassuring, particularly for a home specialising in dementia care, where staff knowledge about communication, behaviour, and changing needs is critical. Good Practice research shows that care plans should function as living documents, updated after any significant change in health, and that families should be actively included in those reviews. Our family review data identifies dementia-specific care as a concern for 12.7% of reviewers. Because the published findings lack specific detail here, this is an area to probe directly: ask how staff are trained specifically in dementia, not just general care, and how recently your parent's care plan would be reviewed after a hospital stay or a change in condition.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies dementia-specific training as distinct from general care training, noting that homes where staff receive structured dementia education show measurably better outcomes in managing distress and preserving independence for longer.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what specific dementia training all care staff complete, when it was last updated, and whether it covers non-verbal communication. Then ask to see a blank copy of the care plan template to check whether it captures personal history, preferred routines, and communication preferences."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. Inspectors assess this domain by observing staff interactions, speaking with residents and relatives, and reviewing how dignity, privacy, and independence are upheld in daily life. A Good rating indicates that staff are broadly kind and respectful in their approach. The published summary does not include specific observations, quotes from residents or relatives, or examples of how staff support independence for people with dementia. The evidence behind this rating therefore cannot be independently assessed from the information available here.","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%. A Good in Caring is the rating families most want to see, but a rating alone does not tell you what it feels like to walk into this home on a Tuesday morning. Good Practice research shows that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication matters as much as words: tone, pace, eye contact, and touch all shape how safe and settled your parent will feel. On your visit, watch how staff move through communal areas. Do they stop to speak? Do they use your parent's preferred name? Are interactions unhurried, or does it feel transactional?","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know the individual's history, preferences, and triggers, is significantly associated with lower rates of distress and agitation in people with dementia, and that this knowledge is built through consistent staffing rather than formal documentation alone.","watch_out":"When you visit, arrive at a mealtime or a transition point such as after breakfast or before lunch, when staff are busiest. Watch whether staff sit with residents during the meal or stand and move on. Notice whether anyone is sitting alone without acknowledgement for more than a few minutes."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether care is tailored to individual needs, whether people have access to meaningful activities, and whether the home handles complaints appropriately. A Good rating here suggests the home is broadly meeting individuals' needs and responding when things go wrong. The published findings do not include detail about the activities programme, how one-to-one engagement is provided for people who cannot join group activities, or how individual preferences shape daily routines.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. A Good in Responsive is encouraging, but the gap between a planned activity schedule and what actually happens on a quiet Wednesday afternoon is where many homes fall short. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not enough for people with more advanced dementia, and that Montessori-based approaches, using everyday tasks and familiar objects, can maintain engagement and a sense of purpose far longer than structured sessions. Ask specifically what happens for your parent on a day when the group activity does not suit them. One-to-one time, not just being in the room while something happens, is the standard to look for.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that individually tailored activity, including household tasks, music linked to personal history, and familiar sensory experiences, produces significantly better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group-only activity programmes.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records from the past four weeks, not just the current schedule on the noticeboard. Check whether any entries record one-to-one engagement with individual residents, or whether all recorded activities are group sessions."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. The home is run by Onetree Estates Limited, with Ms Kulvinder Kaur as registered manager and Mr Jayanti Mohanlal Patel as nominated individual. A Good rating in this domain indicates that inspectors found effective oversight, a positive culture, and processes to monitor and improve quality. The home's improvement from its previous Requires Improvement overall rating suggests that leadership has driven real change. The published summary does not include specific details about how the manager is experienced by staff and residents, or how governance processes operate in practice.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of what drives positive family reviews, and Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of a home's quality trajectory. The fact that this home improved from Requires Improvement to Good overall is a meaningful signal that someone in charge has taken accountability seriously. However, one inspection is a snapshot. Ask how long the registered manager has been in post, whether the same team is in place that drove the improvement, and how the home communicates with families when something goes wrong. A manager who can answer those questions directly and specifically, without reaching for prepared answers, is usually a good sign.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where the registered manager has been in post for more than two years, and where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, show consistently better outcomes across all care quality domains.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in this role, and what the single biggest change they made after the previous Requires Improvement inspection was. The quality of that answer will tell you more than any inspection rating."}

  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 dementia care alongside general nursing for older adults. Their activity programme forms a central part of daily life, helping residents maintain social connections and mental stimulation.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the structured activity schedule provides routine and purpose. Staff work to find activities that match individual abilities and interests, adapting as needs change. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.