Blackwell Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds49
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2023-12-15
- Activities programmeThe home stays bright and spotlessly clean throughout, with spaces designed to feel welcoming rather than clinical. Everything looks well-maintained and cared for, from the communal areas to individual rooms.
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families describe a sense of relief when they first walk through the doors. The atmosphere feels calm and purposeful, with staff who take time to understand each resident as a person. Whether someone's moving from hospital or another care home, the team here seems to have a knack for making transitions feel less daunting.
Based on 11 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth55
- Compassion & dignity55
- Cleanliness60
- Activities & engagement50
- Food quality50
- Healthcare55
- Management & leadership60
- Resident happiness55
What inspectors found
Inspected 2023-12-15 · Report published 2023-12-15 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The December 2024 inspection rated this domain Good. This follows a period when the home was rated Requires Improvement overall. The published text does not include specific observations about staffing numbers, medicines management, falls monitoring, or infection control practices. A Good rating for Safe indicates inspectors were satisfied with these areas at the time of the visit, but the detail behind that judgement is not available in the published findings provided.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safe is a positive step after a difficult period, but the absence of specific detail means you cannot yet see what safety looks like in practice at this home. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in care homes, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency your parent with dementia needs. With 49 beds and a specialism in dementia care, it is reasonable to ask exactly how many staff are on duty after 10pm and what proportion of recent shifts were covered by agency workers. These are not intrusive questions; they are the right ones.","evidence_base":"Rapid evidence review findings (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) identify night staffing ratios and low agency reliance as two of the strongest predictors of safe, consistent care for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not the template. Count the number of permanent staff versus agency staff on night shifts, and ask what the ratio of carers to residents is after 10pm."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"Effective was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. This domain covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access, and food quality. No specific detail is available in the published text: there are no examples of care plan content, no description of GP access arrangements, and no reference to dementia training programmes. The Good rating suggests inspectors were satisfied overall, but the evidence behind it is not visible here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effective means inspectors were satisfied that staff know what they are doing, that care plans reflect individual needs, and that healthcare is being managed appropriately. For your parent living with dementia, the quality of care planning matters enormously: a good care plan should record preferred names, daily routines, food preferences, and how your parent communicates distress. Our review data shows that families value dementia-specific care in 12.7% of positive reviews and food quality in 20.9%, suggesting both are worth probing in detail. Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if necessary) and find out how recently dementia training was completed by the staff who would be caring for your parent.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated after every significant change in a person's condition, with families actively involved in reviews. Homes where families help shape care plans consistently score higher on resident wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed, whether families are invited to contribute, and what specific dementia training all staff have completed in the past 12 months. Ask for the name of the training provider, not just a yes or no answer."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"Caring was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. This domain reflects staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether your parent would be treated as an individual. No inspector observations, resident quotes, or family testimony are recorded in the published text provided. The Good rating is positive but its specific basis is not 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 follow closely at 55.2%. A Good rating for Caring is encouraging after the home's Requires Improvement period, but without specific observations it is impossible to say from the published findings what warmth looks like here in practice. When you visit, watch how staff move through the home: do they make eye contact with residents, use preferred names without being prompted, and slow down rather than rush? Non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people living with dementia, and these are things you can observe yourself in a 30-minute visit.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies person-led care, including knowing and using preferred names, responding to non-verbal cues, and never rushing personal care, as a core marker of quality for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"On your visit, note whether staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted, whether they make eye contact and slow down during interactions, and how a member of staff responds if a resident appears upset or confused in a corridor."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, response to complaints, and end-of-life planning. No specific detail about the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, or complaint handling is recorded in the published text provided. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the evidence is not visible here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement appear in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness and contentment appear in 27.1%. For your parent with dementia, meaningful activity is not a luxury: Good Practice research consistently shows that tailored, individual engagement reduces anxiety, agitation, and social withdrawal. A Good rating for Responsive is positive, but ask to see what the activity programme actually looked like last week. For people who cannot join group sessions, one-to-one engagement is essential and is often where homes fall short. Ask specifically what would happen for your parent on a day when group activities are not possible.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research, including studies drawing on Montessori-based approaches, identifies tailored one-to-one activities and familiar household tasks as particularly effective for people with moderate to advanced dementia, reducing distress and supporting a sense of continuity.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual activity schedule and sign-in sheet for the past two weeks, not a printed template. Ask how staff support residents who cannot participate in group sessions, and what one-to-one time your parent would receive each day."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"Well-led was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. The home has a named Registered Manager, Mrs Natalie Jade Pearce, and a Nominated Individual, Mr Rishi Rupen Dhameche. This follows a previous Requires Improvement rating, suggesting improvements in governance and leadership have been made. The published text does not describe what specific changes were implemented or how the management team addressed the earlier concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in care homes, according to Good Practice research. The home moved from Outstanding to Requires Improvement and has now returned to Good: that arc matters, and understanding what went wrong and what changed is a reasonable thing to ask about. Communication with families appears in 11.5% of positive reviews, and families consistently value a manager who is visible and reachable. When you visit, ask the Registered Manager directly what caused the Requires Improvement rating and what was done to address it. A manager who can answer that question clearly and without defensiveness is a good sign.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies leadership stability and staff empowerment (including staff feeling able to raise concerns without fear) as key predictors of sustained quality in care homes. Bottom-up empowerment, where frontline staff are trusted to flag problems, is a marker of a well-functioning culture.","watch_out":"Ask the Registered Manager what specifically caused the Requires Improvement rating at the 2023 inspection, what changes were made, and how long they have been in post. Also ask how staff are encouraged to raise concerns, and whether there has been significant staff turnover in the past year."}
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 centre supports people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, welcoming both younger adults and those over 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home's approach to dementia goes beyond basic care — from the way spaces are designed to how staff interact with residents. Families particularly value how the team tailors support to each person's specific needs and stage of dementia. — 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.
DCC Family Score
Blackwell Care Centre recently recovered from a Requires Improvement rating, with its December 2024 inspection finding Good across all five domains. However, because the published inspection report provided to us contains very limited detail, scores reflect a cautious reading rather than confirmed specific evidence.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families describe a sense of relief when they first walk through the doors. The atmosphere feels calm and purposeful, with staff who take time to understand each resident as a person. Whether someone's moving from hospital or another care home, the team here seems to have a knack for making transitions feel less daunting.
What inspectors have recorded
Staff here stand out for their warmth and knowledge, particularly around dementia care. Families mention feeling genuinely included and supported, not just during visits but in ongoing conversations about their loved one's care. The team provides round-the-clock support with the same friendly, person-centred approach whether it's morning or midnight.
How it sits against good practice
Sometimes the smallest details — a calm atmosphere, a friendly face, genuine understanding — make the biggest difference.
Worth a visit
Blackwell Care Centre, on Gloves Lane in Alfreton, was rated Requires Improvement at its December 2023 inspection, having previously held an Outstanding rating. Its most recent inspection, carried out on 3 December 2024, found the home to be Good across all five domains: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. This is a meaningful recovery, and the return to Good across every area is encouraging. The home is registered to care for 49 people, including adults living with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, and has a named Registered Manager in post. The main uncertainty here is that the published inspection report text provided contains very little specific detail: no inspector observations, no resident or family quotes, and no breakdown of what evidence underpinned each Good rating. That means a Good rating is confirmed, but what that looks like day to day for your mum or dad is not yet visible from the published findings alone. Before placing a parent here, visit at different times of day, ask to see last week's actual staffing rota (not the template), and speak to the Registered Manager about night staffing ratios, dementia training for all staff, and how the home communicates with families when something changes.
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In Their Own Words
How Blackwell Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where understanding meets warmth for families facing dementia
Dedicated nursing home Support in Alfreton
When dementia changes everything, finding the right support matters more than ever. Blackwell Care Centre in Alfreton brings together thoughtful design with genuine warmth, creating a space where residents feel understood and families feel welcomed. The bright, calm environment here reflects the care team's approach — focused on each person's individual needs rather than rigid routines.
Who they care for
The centre supports people with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, welcoming both younger adults and those over 65.
The home's approach to dementia goes beyond basic care — from the way spaces are designed to how staff interact with residents. Families particularly value how the team tailors support to each person's specific needs and stage of dementia.
Management & ethos
Staff here stand out for their warmth and knowledge, particularly around dementia care. Families mention feeling genuinely included and supported, not just during visits but in ongoing conversations about their loved one's care. The team provides round-the-clock support with the same friendly, person-centred approach whether it's morning or midnight.
The home & environment
The home stays bright and spotlessly clean throughout, with spaces designed to feel welcoming rather than clinical. Everything looks well-maintained and cared for, from the communal areas to individual rooms.
“Sometimes the smallest details — a calm atmosphere, a friendly face, genuine understanding — make the biggest difference.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
