Brant Howe

What families say

Based on 2 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth65
• Compassion & dignity65
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness60

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-09-25 · Report published 2021-09-25 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for Safety at Fairbank. This means that at the time of inspection, the home met required standards in areas such as staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and safeguarding. Without the full inspection text, we cannot confirm the specific evidence behind this rating u2014 for example, whether falls were being logged and reviewed, what agency staff usage looked like, or how night-time staffing was structured. A Good Safety rating is reassuring but should be tested on a visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safety rating tells you the home passed the bar set by inspectors u2014 but it does not tell you everything your parent needs you to know. Our family review data shows that 14% of families specifically mention staff attentiveness as a reason for confidence, and this is almost impossible to assess from a rating alone. Good Practice research is clear that safety most commonly slips at night, when staffing ratios are lower and senior oversight is reduced. Because the inspection is now over three years old, it is worth asking directly what staffing looks like after 8pm today, not in 2021.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night-time staffing levels are where safety most commonly deteriorates in care homes, and that homes relying heavily on agency staff show less consistency in recognising and responding to changes in a resident's condition.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask: 'How many staff are on duty overnight on the dementia unit, and what is their dementia training level?' Then ask to see the incident and falls log for the last three months and check whether actions were taken after each entry."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Fairbank received a Good rating for Effectiveness, which covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. This suggests inspectors found that staff had appropriate skills, that care plans were in place, and that residents' health needs were being met. However, without the full inspection text, we cannot confirm whether care plans were genuinely person-centred, how often they were reviewed, or what dementia-specific training staff had received. A Good rating here means the home passed the standard u2014 it does not confirm the quality of what lies behind it.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, Effectiveness is about whether the home truly knows them as an individual u2014 their history, preferences, what calms them, what frightens them u2014 and whether that knowledge is written into their care plan and acted on every day. Our family review data shows that food quality (weighted at 20.9% of what families care about) and healthcare access (20.2%) are both key concerns. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents, updated with family input after any significant change. You should ask how often your parent's care plan would be reviewed and whether you would be invited to contribute.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed at least monthly for people with dementia, and more frequently following any health change u2014 and that family inclusion in reviews significantly improves the accuracy of person-centred information.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'How often are care plans reviewed, and how would you involve me as a family member?' Then ask to see an example of a completed life history or 'This is Me' document to check whether they gather meaningful personal detail about each resident."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"A Good rating in Caring means inspectors found that staff treated residents with respect and compassion at the time of the visit. This domain covers dignity, warmth, privacy, and whether residents feel genuinely cared for rather than processed. Without the full inspection text, we have no direct inspector observations, no resident or family quotes, and no specific examples of how staff responded to distress or supported independence. The rating tells us the home met the standard; it does not tell us what warmth looks like there on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is by far the most important theme to families u2014 it accounts for 57.3% of what drives positive family reviews in our data, followed closely by compassion and dignity at 55.2%. These are not soft considerations; they are the core of what makes a difference to your parent's daily experience. Good Practice research confirms that for people living with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, unhurried touch, eye-level engagement u2014 matters as much as anything said. A Good Caring rating is a starting point, but you need to see this for yourself on a visit, ideally unannounced or at a busy time like a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review confirms that for people with advanced dementia who cannot reliably self-report their experience, staff non-verbal communication and the pace of care interactions are the strongest observable indicators of genuine compassionate practice.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch how staff address your parent's peers in corridors and communal areas u2014 are they using preferred names, making eye contact, and stopping to listen? Also notice whether staff knock before entering residents' rooms."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Fairbank received a Good rating for Responsiveness, which covers whether the home tailors care to individual needs, provides meaningful activities, and plans appropriately for end of life. The home has a specialism in dementia care, which means it should have approaches in place for people at different stages of the condition. Without the full inspection text, we cannot confirm what the activity programme looks like, whether one-to-one engagement is available for those who cannot join group activities, or whether end-of-life planning is discussed proactively with families.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness accounts for 27.1% of what drives family satisfaction in our review data, and activities engagement accounts for 21.4% u2014 together, these reflect whether your parent will have a life at Fairbank, not just a bed. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are insufficient for people with moderate to advanced dementia; tailored one-to-one engagement, including everyday household tasks and sensory activities, is what maintains wellbeing for individuals who can no longer participate in groups. With only 29 beds, Fairbank is a small home, which can be an advantage u2014 smaller homes often achieve better individual knowledge of residents u2014 but you should check what the activity programme actually looks like day to day.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and household-task approaches to activity u2014 folding laundry, tending plants, simple cooking u2014 show strong evidence for maintaining engagement and self-esteem in people with dementia, and are more effective than structured group entertainment for individuals with moderate or advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask: 'If my parent is unable to join a group activity, what would happen for them on a typical afternoon?' and 'Can I see this week's activity record?' Look for evidence of individual engagement, not just a group programme on a noticeboard."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"A Good rating in Well-Led means inspectors found that leadership, governance, and the overall culture of the home were satisfactory at the time of the September 2021 inspection. This covers whether there is a stable, visible manager, whether staff feel supported to speak up, whether the home learns from mistakes, and whether quality is monitored consistently. Without the full inspection text, we cannot confirm manager tenure, how governance systems work in practice, or how the home responded to any concerns raised during the inspection period.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of what drives family satisfaction in our data, and communication with families accounts for a further 11.5%. Good Practice research is unambiguous: leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality trajectory. A home with a long-serving, visible manager tends to maintain and improve; a home that has recently changed manager is at higher risk of drift. Given that this inspection was conducted in September 2021 u2014 over three years ago u2014 the current manager may not be the same person the inspector assessed. This is one of the most important questions to ask before you make a decision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review identifies leadership stability and bottom-up staff empowerment as the two strongest organisational predictors of sustained care quality u2014 homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear show consistently better outcomes for residents.","watch_out":"Ask directly: 'How long has the current registered manager been in post?' and 'What was the last significant change you made based on feedback from a family or a resident?' The answers will tell you more than any rating."}

  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 The home provides specialist care for people over 65, with particular expertise in dementia care and support for those with physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the team at Brant Howe brings both understanding and practical expertise to their daily support. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.