Belmont House

What families say

What comes through in family experiences is how staff remember the little things that matter. They pick up on individual preferences and quietly work them into daily life. People mention seeing their relatives comfortable and content, with some families noting real improvements in health and wellbeing after moving in.

Based on 9 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality55
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-03-09 · Report published 2023-03-09 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Safe at the February 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement in this domain. This indicates that the concerns identified at the earlier inspection were addressed. The published report does not specify what those earlier concerns were or provide detail on current staffing numbers, medicines management processes, or falls recording. The home accommodates 24 residents across dementia, physical disability, and sensory impairment specialisms.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in Safety is the most important single fact in this report for your parent. It means inspectors found that whatever was wrong before has been fixed, at least to the level required. That said, the published findings give no specific detail on night staffing ratios, agency cover, or how falls are recorded and learned from. Good Practice research consistently finds that safety is most likely to slip after dark, when staffing is thinner and there is less oversight. Before you decide, ask the manager directly how many staff are on overnight and what proportion of those are permanent rather than agency.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (2026) found that night staffing levels and agency staff reliance are the two factors most strongly associated with safety incidents in residential dementia care. A Good Safe rating at inspection is a positive indicator, but it captures a snapshot rather than ongoing practice.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many overnight shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency staff, and ask what the minimum number of staff on duty is at 3am for 24 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Effective, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, and food. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which implies staff are expected to have relevant training. The published text does not describe training content, completion rates, care plan review frequency, GP visiting arrangements, or food quality observations. The improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating suggests effective practice was strengthened since the last inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The Good Effective rating tells you the home meets expected standards for knowing what it is doing, but the published findings do not show the detail that matters most day to day for your parent living with dementia. Our review data shows that dementia-specific care (mentioned in 12.7% of positive family reviews) and food quality (20.9% of positive reviews) are two of the areas families care most about and most notice when things go wrong. You cannot confirm from this report alone whether your parent's care plan would reflect their specific history, preferences, and communication needs. Ask to see an anonymised example care plan on your visit, and ask how often it would be reviewed with you.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans function best as living documents reviewed regularly with family input, rather than documents completed at admission and filed. Homes where families are actively included in care plan reviews show better outcomes for residents with dementia, particularly around managing distress and maintaining familiar routines.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often are care plans formally reviewed, and will I be invited to contribute? Also ask what dementia training staff have completed in the past 12 months and whether it covers non-verbal communication for residents who can no longer speak consistently."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Caring, the domain that covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and independence. This is also an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. The published inspection text does not include direct observations of staff interactions, resident quotes, or relative testimony. No specific examples are provided of how staff addressed residents, responded to distress, or supported independence.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of satisfaction in our family review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. The Good Caring rating is reassuring, but without specific inspector observations or resident quotes in the published text, you cannot picture from this report what daily interactions actually look and feel like. The Good Practice evidence base highlights that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people with advanced dementia: tone of voice, pace of movement, and eye contact all signal safety or threat. The best signal you can get is to visit at a quiet time, such as mid-morning or after lunch, and watch unhurried corridor interactions rather than the formal tour.","evidence_base":"Research in the Good Practice evidence review confirms that person-led caring requires staff to know each individual's history, preferred name, and communication style. Homes where staff can name each resident's background and preferences without consulting notes show consistently higher dignity ratings from both inspectors and families.","watch_out":"During your visit, walk through a corridor and notice whether staff make eye contact with residents they pass, use the resident's preferred name, and stop rather than walk by if someone looks unsettled. These small behaviours are more informative than any formal demonstration."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Responsive, covering activities, individual engagement, and end-of-life care. Again, this represents an improvement from the previous rating. The published text provides no specific information about the activity programme, who runs it, how often activities take place, whether one-to-one engagement is available, or how end-of-life care preferences are recorded.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness account for 27.1% and 21.4% of the themes driving positive family reviews respectively. A Good Responsive rating means inspectors judged the home adequate in this area, but it does not tell you whether your parent would have something meaningful to do on a Tuesday afternoon or whether the home has thought about what matters to them individually. The Good Practice evidence review is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with moderate to advanced dementia: regular one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks such as folding, gardening, or listening to familiar music, is what maintains wellbeing and reduces distress. Ask specifically what would happen for your parent if they were unable or unwilling to join a group.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University review found that Montessori-based and task-based individual activities, rather than scheduled group sessions alone, are the approaches most strongly associated with reduced agitation and sustained wellbeing in residential dementia care. Homes that plan individual activity alongside group programmes show measurably better resident happiness outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity planner for the past month and check whether it includes one-to-one sessions as well as group events. Ask who delivers individual engagement, whether it is a dedicated activity coordinator or care staff fitting it around other tasks, and what happens on a day when the activity coordinator is off sick."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Well-led, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. A named registered manager, Miss Ellenor Belinda Phillips, and a nominated individual, Mrs Stephanie Ussi, are formally recorded. The improvement across all five domains from the previous inspection is itself evidence of responsive leadership. The published text does not describe the manager's tenure, staff culture, how concerns are raised and addressed, or how families are kept informed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management leadership accounts for 23.4% of the themes in our positive family review data, and Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory over time. The fact that this home turned around a Requires Improvement rating across all five domains is genuinely significant, and it suggests someone in charge took the findings seriously and acted. What you cannot confirm from this report is how long the current manager has been in post, whether staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, or how the home communicates with families when something changes. Communication with families drives 11.5% of positive reviews, and it is an area where homes vary widely in practice even within a Good rating.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff report feeling able to speak up without fear of reprisal consistently achieve better resident outcomes and maintain ratings over time. Manager visibility and named accountability are markers inspectors associate with sustained quality rather than one-off compliance.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post and whether the same person was in charge during the previous Requires Improvement period. Also ask how the home would contact you if your parent had a fall overnight, and how quickly you would receive that call."}

  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 Belmont House supports people over 65 with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They're set up to handle the complexities these conditions bring.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home's approach centres on understanding each person as an individual. Staff seem skilled at reading non-verbal cues and maintaining routines that help residents feel secure. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.