Burgh House

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 warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-08-01 · Report published 2018-08-01 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for safety at its last inspection in August 2018, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. This suggests inspectors found improvements in the areas that had previously fallen short, which may include medicines management, incident reporting, or staffing levels. A 53-bed home with a dementia specialism carries particular safety responsibilities, including safe environments to prevent falls and reduce wandering risk. Without the full inspection text, the specific evidence behind this rating cannot be confirmed. The rating reflects a point-in-time assessment that is now more than six years old.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating after a previous shortfall is reassuring u2014 it means inspectors saw genuine improvement, not just promises. However, safety in dementia care is most tested at night and during staff handovers, when there are fewer eyes on the floor. Our family review data shows that families frequently mention feeling anxious about what happens after 8pm, and the Good Practice evidence confirms that night-time staffing ratios are where safety most often slips. Because this inspection is from 2018, you should treat the rating as a starting point for your questions, not a current guarantee. Ask specifically about falls in the last three months and how the home responded to each one.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that safety incidents in care homes are disproportionately concentrated at night and during transitions between staff shifts, making night staffing ratios and handover quality the two most important safety indicators to probe during a family visit.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many staff are on duty overnight for the 53 beds, how many of those are dementia-trained, and can you show me the falls log for the last three months along with what changed after each incident?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good at the August 2018 inspection. For a home specialising in dementia, this domain covers the quality and currency of care plans, access to GPs and specialist services, staff training in dementia care, and how well the home manages nutrition and hydration. A Good rating suggests inspectors were satisfied that staff had the knowledge and systems to deliver effective care. The home's specialism in both over-65 and under-65 dementia care means it should have tailored expertise for different presentations of the condition. Without the full text, whether training was dementia-specific or generic, and how frequently care plans were reviewed, cannot be confirmed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effective care in dementia is not just about ticking boxes u2014 it is about whether staff genuinely understand how your parent's condition presents, and whether their care plan reflects who they actually are rather than a standard template. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care knowledge is mentioned in 12.7% of positive reviews, often when families contrast it with homes where staff treated all residents the same way. The Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents, reviewed with family input at least every three months. Ask to see a sample care plan structure and check whether it includes the person's life history, preferred routines, and communication preferences.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found strong evidence that individualised, life-history-informed care plans u2014 reviewed regularly with family involvement u2014 are associated with better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia and fewer episodes of distressed behaviour.","watch_out":"Ask: how often is my parent's care plan reviewed, will I be invited to those reviews, and can you show me how the plan captures things like preferred name, daily routine, and how my parent communicates when they are distressed?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Caring was rated Good at the August 2018 inspection. This domain is the one most directly tied to the day-to-day experience of living in the home u2014 whether staff are kind, whether your parent is treated with dignity, whether their independence is supported rather than managed away. A Good rating requires inspectors to observe positive interactions and gather testimony from residents and families. Without the full inspection text, the specific quotes or observations that led to this rating are not available. What can be said is that inspectors judged the standard of care to be good, not merely adequate.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Caring is the theme that matters most to families u2014 our review data shows staff warmth accounts for 57.3% of the weighting in positive family reviews, and compassion and dignity for 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities; they show up in small, specific moments: whether a staff member crouches to speak at eye level, whether your parent is called by the name they prefer, whether someone sits with them when they are unsettled rather than walking away. The Good Practice evidence highlights that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication from staff u2014 tone, touch, facial expression u2014 matters as much as words. On your visit, watch the corridor interactions, not just the formal tour.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that person-led care u2014 defined as knowing the individual's history, preferences, and communication style u2014 was the strongest predictor of resident wellbeing in dementia care settings, outperforming structural factors like building design.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted, whether interactions feel rushed or genuinely unhurried, and whether any member of staff is sitting with a resident who appears distressed rather than standing nearby."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the August 2018 inspection. This domain covers whether the home offers a life worth living u2014 meaningful activities, individual engagement, support for independence, and good end-of-life care. For a dementia-specialist home, responsiveness also means adapting when a person's condition changes and ensuring activities are accessible to those who cannot participate in groups. Without the full inspection text, whether activities were individually tailored, whether one-to-one engagement was offered, or what the end-of-life approach looked like cannot be confirmed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for responsive care is encouraging, but activity provision is one of the areas where inspection ratings and lived experience can diverge most sharply. Our family review data shows activities and engagement feature in 21.4% of positive reviews, but families also describe homes where group activities exist on paper but people with advanced dementia spend long stretches alone. The Good Practice evidence is clear that for people who cannot join group sessions, one-to-one engagement u2014 including everyday tasks like folding, sorting, or simple conversation u2014 is not a luxury but a clinical need. Ask to see the actual activity schedule for last week, not the planned one.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found strong evidence that Montessori-based and occupation-focused individual activities u2014 including household tasks that draw on long-term procedural memory u2014 significantly reduce distressed behaviour and improve quality of life for people with dementia who can no longer participate in group programmes.","watch_out":"Ask: what happens on a typical afternoon for someone who doesn't want to join a group session u2014 who sits with them, what do they do together, and is there a named staff member responsible for one-to-one engagement on each shift?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Well-Led was rated Good at the August 2018 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement alongside the overall rating. This is the most significant finding in the available data: the leadership team identified what was not working, made changes, and sustained those changes long enough to satisfy inspectors at the next visit. A Good Well-Led rating typically requires evidence of a clear management culture, staff who feel supported and able to raise concerns, and governance systems that track quality and act on problems. Without the full inspection text, the specific improvements that drove this turnaround cannot be identified.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The improvement in Well-Led is the most positive indicator in this report. Our family review data shows management and leadership features in 23.4% of what families value, but its true importance is as a predictor of everything else u2014 homes with stable, visible leadership consistently outperform those without it. The Good Practice evidence is direct on this: leadership stability is the single strongest predictor of quality trajectory in care homes. However, this inspection is six years old, and a manager who drove an improvement in 2018 may no longer be in post. The first question to ask on any visit is: who is the registered manager, how long have they been here, and how long do they plan to stay?","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that leadership stability u2014 defined as the same registered manager in post for more than two years u2014 was the strongest structural predictor of sustained quality improvement in care homes, with high-turnover leadership associated with regression toward previous ratings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been the registered manager here, what was the main change you made after the previous inspection, and how do staff raise concerns if they see something they are not happy with?"}

  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 team here provides residential care for younger adults as well as those over 65, alongside specialist dementia support. This mix of services means they're experienced with different care needs and life stages.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home offers specialist care within their residential setting. The team understands the unique challenges and support needed at different stages of the condition. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.