Dementia Care Home

Ashwood Care Home

10-12 Shirley Avenue, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 5NG

Residential homes

At a Glance

The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.

DCC Family Score
72/ 100
Weighted from family reviews
Dementia SpecialismConfirmed

Residential homes

Families Rate The Staff72 / 100

Staff warmth score

“Well Looked After”70%

of reviewers answered yes

Good to know

  • Registered beds39
  • SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
  • Last inspected2021-07-10

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The Evidence

What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.

Section 01

What families say

Families often mention seeing their relatives genuinely content here, with some describing how well they've settled after initial worries about the move. The atmosphere feels welcoming during visits, and residents seem relaxed in their surroundings.

The eight family priority themes

  • Staff warmth72
  • Compassion & dignity72
  • Cleanliness70
  • Activities & engagement65
  • Food quality65
  • Healthcare70
  • Management & leadership72
  • Resident happiness70
Section 02

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-07-10

  • Is this home safe?

    Not yet rated
    The Safe domain was rated Good at the April 2024 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The published report text does not include specific observations, staff ratios, or detail about falls or medicines practices. A Good rating confirms inspectors were satisfied, but the evidence behind it is not set out in the available text.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the care effective?

    Not yet rated
    The Effective domain was rated Good at the April 2024 inspection. This domain looks at training, care plan quality, healthcare access including GP involvement, and how well the home meets nutritional and health needs. The published report does not include specific observations about dementia training, care plan content, or frequency of GP visits. The Good rating confirms inspectors were satisfied across these areas, but no supporting detail is available in the published text.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is this home caring?

    Not yet rated
    The Caring domain was rated Good at the April 2024 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, respect for dignity, privacy, and how well staff support residents' independence. No direct observations, resident quotes, or relative comments are included in the published report text. The Good rating confirms that inspectors were satisfied, but the specific interactions or behaviours that led to that conclusion are not available.
    Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded
  • Is the home responsive?

    Not yet rated
    The Responsive domain was rated Good at the April 2024 inspection. This domain covers how well the home tailors care to individual needs, the quality of the activity programme, and end-of-life planning. Ashwood's listed specialisms include dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which means the home is expected to meet a wide range of needs. No specific activities, individual examples, or end-of-life detail are included in the published text.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the home well-led?

    Not yet rated
    The Well-led domain was rated Good at the April 2024 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. Mrs Farah Badrudin is the registered manager, and Dr Manju Bala Rikhab Jain is the nominated individual. The published text does not include detail about governance systems, staff culture, how the home learns from incidents, or how long the current manager has been in post. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in this domain is a positive sign.
    Verified by inspector
  • Source: CQC inspection report →

    Section 03

    What the evidence base says

    Ashwood provides care for people with sensory impairments, dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities. They focus on residents over 65. For residents living with dementia, the team works to maintain familiar routines and provide appropriate stimulation through their activity programme. All 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.

72/ 100

DCC Family Score

Ashwood Rest Home scored Good across all five inspection domains in April 2024, representing a meaningful improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. However, the published inspection report text provided contains very limited specific detail, so scores reflect confirmed Good ratings rather than rich observational evidence.

Homes in South East typically score 68–82.

The three-lens summary

Lens 01

What families tell us

Families often mention seeing their relatives genuinely content here, with some describing how well they've settled after initial worries about the move. The atmosphere feels welcoming during visits, and residents seem relaxed in their surroundings.

Lens 02

What inspectors have recorded

What stands out for most families is how the management team keeps them informed. They describe getting calls about medication changes or health updates before they need to ask. The manager makes time to discuss any concerns that come up.

Lens 03

How it sits against good practice

While most families speak positively about their experience, it's worth having a detailed conversation about care practices when you visit.

DCC Recommendation

Worth a visit

Ashwood Rest Home at 10-12 Shirley Avenue, Southampton was assessed in April 2024 and rated Good across all five inspection domains: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. This is a meaningful improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating, and it confirms the home is meeting the standard required across every area inspectors look at. Mrs Farah Badrudin is the registered manager, and a named nominated individual is also in post. The main limitation for families reading this report is that the published inspection text contains very little specific detail. Ratings confirm a pass, but they do not tell you what staff are like on a Wednesday evening or whether the activity programme reaches your parent on a bad day. Before deciding, visit in person at a quieter time, ideally late afternoon or early evening, and ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for a recent week, including overnight. Pay particular attention to how staff interact with residents in the corridor, whether the pace feels calm and unhurried, and whether the home can describe in concrete terms how it supports people living with dementia on a one-to-one basis.

The three questions to ask when you visit

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In Their Own Words

How Ashwood Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.

What Ashwood Care Home says about itself

Where families stay closely connected through every step of care

Ashwood Rest Home – Expert Care in Southampton

For many families, finding the right care means staying involved without feeling intrusive. At Ashwood Rest Home in Southampton, the team seems to understand this balance well. Most families describe a place where their loved ones have settled in comfortably, often thriving in ways they hadn't expected.

Care & specialisms

Who they care for

    Ashwood provides care for people with sensory impairments, dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities. They focus on residents over 65.

    How they describe their dementia care

    For residents living with dementia, the team works to maintain familiar routines and provide appropriate stimulation through their activity programme.

    “While most families speak positively about their experience, it's worth having a detailed conversation about care practices when you visit.”

    DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.

    Free download – Dementia Stage 4

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    Related:

    The 8 Things Real Families Say About Dementia Care Homes

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    Steps to take to Find a Care Home for Your Mum in the UK

    What Does 'Dementia Specialist' Mean?

    Best UK Website for Comparing Dementia Care Homes

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