Austin Rose Nursing Home

What families say

Families talk about staff who remember the small things that matter — from how someone likes their tea to which songs make them smile. They describe seeing relatives who arrived withdrawn gradually joining in with activities, and those recovering from illness getting back on their feet with patient encouragement.

Based on 35 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 quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-04-04 · Report published 2023-04-04 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Safe is rated Good, which is an improvement from the previous inspection when this domain contributed to an overall Requires Improvement rating. A Good rating in this domain means inspectors were satisfied that medicines management, staffing levels, and risk management met the required standard at the time of the visit. The home supports people with nursing needs, dementia, and physical disabilities, all of which carry specific safety considerations. The published text does not provide detail on night staffing ratios, agency staff usage, or falls management processes.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in Safety is a genuinely positive sign. It means the home identified problems and fixed them to a level inspectors could verify. However, Good Practice research consistently finds that safety is most likely to slip on night shifts and when agency staff are used without thorough induction. The published report does not tell you how many permanent staff are on overnight or how often agency cover is used. These are the two questions most worth asking directly before you make a decision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night-time staffing levels are one of the strongest predictors of preventable harm in care homes, and that homes relying heavily on agency staff show less consistent safety outcomes because of reduced familiarity with individual residents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency staff, and ask specifically how many staff are on the dementia unit after 10pm."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective is rated Good, covering care planning, training, healthcare access, nutrition, and hydration. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which implies inspectors found training and care planning adequate for this group. No specific detail about care plan content, GP access arrangements, or dementia training type is provided in the published text. The home also cares for people under 65 with physical disabilities, requiring a broad range of clinical and care competencies.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is reassuring, but the evidence available here is general rather than specific. What matters for your parent is whether their care plan is a living document that reflects who they are now, not just at the time of admission. Good Practice research from the Leeds Beckett review found that homes where care plans are reviewed regularly and families are involved in those reviews produce meaningfully better outcomes for people with dementia. Ask how frequently plans are updated and whether you will be contacted when something changes.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that person-centred care planning, reviewed regularly with family input, is one of the most consistently evidenced factors in improving quality of life for people living with dementia in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask how often your parent's care plan would be formally reviewed and whether you would be invited to contribute. Ask to see a blank care plan template so you understand what information the home collects about your parent's preferences, history, and routines."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Caring is rated Good, which formally covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. No specific inspector observations, resident comments, or family testimony are recorded in the published text. Without these, it is not possible to describe what kindness looks like in practice at Austin Rose. A Good rating means inspectors were satisfied, but the detail of how staff treat your parent day to day is something you will need to observe yourself on a visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity appear in 55.2%. These are the things families notice immediately and remember longest. The inspection confirms the standard was met, but it cannot tell you whether the staff member who greets your parent at 7am knows their preferred name, or whether they sit down to talk rather than rushing through a task. These are things you can only assess in person. When you visit, notice whether staff speak to residents in the corridor, not just when delivering care.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies non-verbal communication, unhurried pace, and use of preferred names as the most reliably observable markers of genuinely person-led caring practice in dementia care settings.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name is and how they would want to be addressed. Watch whether staff make eye contact and pause to talk with residents they pass, or move through the unit focused on tasks."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Responsive is rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and how the home responds to complaints and changing needs. The home specialises in dementia care, which implies inspectors found responsiveness adequate for this group. No activity schedules, descriptions of individual engagement, or examples of how the home has adapted care for a specific resident are included in the published text. End-of-life planning is not referenced.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Responsive is a baseline. What matters for your parent is whether the activity programme goes beyond group sessions in the lounge. Our review data shows that resident happiness, mentioned in 27.1% of positive reviews, is closely linked to purposeful engagement rather than passive time-passing. The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and household-task approaches, such as folding, sorting, or simple cooking activities, help people with dementia maintain a sense of purpose and identity. Ask whether the home offers one-to-one engagement for residents who cannot participate in groups.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that tailored one-to-one activities, particularly those drawing on a person's occupational history and everyday routines, are significantly more effective at reducing distress and supporting wellbeing in people with advanced dementia than group programmes alone.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity schedule for last week, not a future plan. Ask specifically what happens for a resident who cannot participate in a group session: who would spend time with them, what would they do, and how is that recorded?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-led is rated Good, and the inspection identifies both a named Registered Manager and a Nominated Individual. This suggests a defined accountability structure is in place. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains indicates that leadership was able to identify problems and drive meaningful change. The published text does not describe the manager's tenure, staff culture, or how the home involves residents and families in governance.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes, according to Good Practice research. A manager who has been in post long enough to know the staff, the residents, and the families by name creates a very different environment from one who is newly appointed or frequently absent. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is a positive signal that someone is driving the right changes. Ask how long the current manager has been in post and whether staff feel they can raise concerns without fear of consequence. Management visibility and responsiveness account for 23.4% of positive family reviews.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that leadership stability and a culture where staff feel safe to speak up are among the most consistent predictors of sustained quality improvement in care homes, with homes led by long-tenured managers showing better outcomes across safety, caring, and responsiveness domains.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post at Austin Rose specifically, not just in care management generally. Ask what the biggest change they have made since joining has been, and whether staff turnover has improved in the past 12 months."}

  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 Austin Rose supports younger adults under 65 alongside older residents, caring for people with physical disabilities and various stages of dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on The team shows particular skill in helping residents with dementia settle into their new surroundings. Families mention how staff adapt their approach to each person's needs, creating structure while maintaining dignity. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.