Ashfields Care Home

What families say

Families describe finding more than they expected here — staff who anticipate needs before they're voiced, and a sense that their loved ones are genuinely cared about. The way the team includes families in daily life has helped people feel they're still part of their relative's world, even as things change.

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth85
• Compassion & dignity90
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement85
• Food quality65
• Healthcare72
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness80

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-26 · Report published 2020-02-26 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The safe domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This means inspectors were satisfied that risks were identified and managed, medicines were handled appropriately, and staffing levels were sufficient to keep people safe. Infection control and safeguarding arrangements met the required standard. The published summary does not include specific staffing numbers or detail on how incidents are logged and reviewed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating tells you the basics are in place: your parent should not be at risk from avoidable falls, medication errors, or safeguarding failures that inspectors missed. However, Good is the baseline, not the ceiling, and safety is the area where the gap between an inspection snapshot and everyday reality can be widest. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips, and agency staff reliance as the factor that most undermines consistency for people with dementia. Neither of these is described in the published text, so you will need to ask directly. Cleanliness, which 24.3% of positive family reviews specifically mention, is covered within the safe domain but is not described in detail here either.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance are the two factors most strongly associated with safety incidents in care homes. A Good inspection rating does not in itself confirm adequate night cover.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count the number of permanent staff on night shifts and ask how many agency shifts were used in that period on the dementia unit."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The effective domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This indicates that staff have the training and knowledge to meet people's needs, that care plans are in place and used, and that healthcare access including GP involvement meets the expected standard. The home lists dementia and physical disabilities as specialisms, which implies relevant staff training, though the published text does not describe training content, frequency, or how care plans are reviewed and updated.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good effective rating tells you the foundations are there: your parent's health needs should be monitored, staff should know how to support someone with dementia or a physical disability, and there should be a care plan that reflects who your parent is. What the inspection does not tell you is how detailed those care plans are or how often they are updated when your parent's needs change. Families in our review data highlight dementia-specific care as a concern (mentioned in 12.7% of reviews), and the Good Practice evidence base shows that care plans only improve outcomes when they are treated as living documents, reviewed with family input, not filed and forgotten.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia training effectiveness depends heavily on how it is applied day to day, not just whether staff have completed a course. Homes where staff can explain why they do things differently for each resident show better outcomes than those where training is a tick-box exercise.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if needed) and ask when it was last updated and whether a family member attended that review. If the answer is that reviews happen annually or only when something goes wrong, probe further."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The caring domain was rated Outstanding at the January 2022 inspection. This is the highest grade inspectors award and requires strong, specific evidence from direct observation, resident testimony, and family feedback. It covers staff warmth, compassion, respect for dignity and privacy, and how well staff know each person as an individual. This is the domain most closely aligned with what families say matters most when choosing a home.","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 come second at 55.2%. An Outstanding caring rating is the clearest signal an inspection can give that these qualities are genuinely present, not just claimed. In practical terms, it means inspectors directly observed staff treating your parent as a person with a history, preferences, and feelings, not as a task to be completed. Good Practice research also tells us that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication matters as much as words: the pace at which a carer approaches, whether they make eye contact, and whether they use your parent's preferred name are as important as anything written in a care plan.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research review (2026) found that person-led care, where staff know and use individual preferences, histories, and communication styles, is significantly associated with lower rates of distress and better quality of life for people with dementia. Outstanding caring ratings are awarded only when inspectors find consistent, observable evidence of this approach.","watch_out":"On your visit, notice what happens in the corridor or communal areas when a member of staff passes a resident who has not called for help. Do they stop, make eye contact, and use the resident's name? That unrehearsed moment tells you more than any planned interaction."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The responsive domain was rated Outstanding at the January 2022 inspection. This domain assesses whether care is tailored to individual needs, whether activities are meaningful and varied, how the home handles complaints, and how end-of-life care is managed. An Outstanding grade here means inspectors found specific evidence that the home goes beyond generic provision and adapts to what each person actually needs and enjoys. The home lists dementia, physical disabilities, and both over-65 and under-65 adults as specialisms, indicating it supports a wide range of needs.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement are mentioned positively in 21.4% of family reviews nationally, and resident happiness, which depends heavily on having a meaningful daily life, is a concern in 27.1% of reviews. An Outstanding responsive rating is strong reassurance that your parent is unlikely to spend their days sitting in a corridor with nothing to do. Good Practice research is clear that for people with dementia, activities need to be tailored to the individual, not just offered to a group, and that familiar everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, or tending plants can provide as much wellbeing as formal activity sessions. What the published text does not confirm is whether one-to-one engagement is available for someone who cannot join a group, so ask that question directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches produce significantly better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group-only programmes. Homes rated Outstanding for responsiveness are more likely to use these approaches, though the published text for this home does not describe specific methods.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator what would happen on a typical Tuesday afternoon for someone with advanced dementia who cannot easily join a group session. If the answer is vague or defaults to 'they can watch TV', ask what specific one-to-one engagement that person would receive and who would deliver it."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This means governance systems, management culture, and accountability arrangements met the standard inspectors expect. The registered manager is named in the published record, which is a basic but meaningful marker of stability. The home has been inspected four times and has improved from Good to Outstanding overall, which suggests leadership has driven genuine quality improvement over time rather than standing still.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and families who rate a home highly nearly always mention knowing who is in charge and feeling that person listens. A Good well-led rating, in a home that has also achieved Outstanding overall, tells you the governance infrastructure is sound. The trajectory from Good to Outstanding is also meaningful: Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory, and a home that has improved is more likely to maintain standards than one that has stayed static. Communication with families, which 11.5% of reviews specifically mention, sits within this domain, though specific arrangements are not described in the published text.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review (2026) found that leadership stability and a culture where staff can raise concerns without fear are the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes. Homes where the manager is visible and known to both staff and residents by name consistently outperform those where management is remote.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask to speak briefly with the registered manager rather than just a senior carer. Notice whether they know specific residents by name when they walk through the communal area. Ask how long they have been in post and what the biggest change they have made in the last year is."}

  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 Ashfields provides care for adults both under and over 65, including those living with dementia or physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home welcomes residents living with dementia as part of their broader care provision for older adults and those with complex needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.