Cawood House

What families say

What stands out to families is how their relatives respond to the staff. People notice the considerate approach and pleasant manner that helps residents feel more at ease.

Based on 5 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity60
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-06-19 · Report published 2019-06-19 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Requires Improvement at the April 2021 inspection. This is the only domain not rated Good. The published report does not specify what drove this rating. The home cares for 42 people, including those living with dementia, which means safe practice around night staffing, medicines management, and falls prevention is especially important. No specific detail about what inspectors observed or what evidence was reviewed in this domain is available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Safety is the finding that should concern you most when considering Cawood House for your parent. In our Good Practice evidence base, night staffing is identified as one of the most common points where safety slips in residential dementia care. The published report does not tell you what specifically concerned inspectors, which means you need to ask the home directly. Staff attentiveness is mentioned in 14% of our family review data as a key concern, and for people living with dementia, the question of who is watching over your dad at 2am matters enormously. The inspection is also from 2021, so you cannot assume the rating reflects current practice.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and reliance on agency staff are among the strongest predictors of safety risk in care homes for people with dementia. Consistent, familiar staff at night reduce distress and the risk of undetected health deterioration.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency staff covered night shifts, and ask what the nurse or senior call arrangements are if a resident deteriorates overnight."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the April 2021 inspection. This domain typically covers care planning, staff training, healthcare access, and nutritional support. No specific observations, quotes, or examples are included in the published summary. A Good rating here suggests inspectors were broadly satisfied, but the absence of detail makes it impossible to confirm what was specifically working well.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Effective is reassuring, but the lack of published detail means you should not assume your parent's care plan will automatically reflect who they are as a person. Our Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans need to function as living documents, updated when someone's needs or preferences change, not filed and forgotten. Food quality is rated Good in 20.9% of our family reviews as a sign of genuine care, and dementia-specific training affects how staff interpret and respond to behaviour. Both of those deserve direct questions on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia training content matters as much as completion rates. Staff who understand the emotional and psychological needs of people with dementia, not just physical care tasks, deliver measurably better outcomes for residents.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if needed) and check whether it records personal history, preferences, and communication style. Then ask how recently it was reviewed and who was involved in that review, whether the resident themselves, a family member, or only staff."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the April 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how well the home supports independence. No specific inspector observations or resident and relative quotes are included in the published summary. A Good rating suggests no significant concerns were found, but without specific evidence it is not possible to describe what caring practice looked like in practice at Cawood House.","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 together account for a further 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring is a positive signal, but the absence of specific detail in this report means you will need to observe this for yourself on a visit. Watch whether staff use your mum's preferred name, whether they crouch to speak with her at eye level, and whether interactions feel unhurried. Non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people living with dementia, a finding repeated across multiple studies in our Good Practice evidence base.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual, not just their diagnosis. Knowing someone's preferred name, their history, and their communication style is associated with reduced distress and better emotional wellbeing in people with dementia.","watch_out":"On your visit, ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name would be and how they would know it. Then observe whether any staff passing residents in corridors acknowledge them by name or make eye contact, without being prompted."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the April 2021 inspection. This domain covers activities, engagement, individuality, and end-of-life planning. No specific detail about the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, or how the home responds to individual preferences is included in the published summary. A Good rating here is broadly positive but gives no specific picture of daily life for your parent.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and resident happiness together account for nearly half the weighting in our family review data (21.4% and 27.1% respectively), and both depend on more than a timetable on the noticeboard. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights that people with more advanced dementia who cannot join group activities need individual, tailored engagement, such as familiar household tasks or one-to-one conversation, not simply the television. The published report does not confirm whether Cawood House provides this. Ask about it directly and look at the actual activity records from last week, not a printed schedule.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-based individual activities, such as folding, sorting, and familiar domestic routines, significantly reduce agitation and improve wellbeing in people with moderate to advanced dementia, particularly those who cannot participate in group sessions.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records from the last two weeks, not the planned timetable. Look for evidence of one-to-one engagement with residents who stay in their rooms or cannot join groups, and ask how the activities coordinator would support your parent specifically if they have advanced dementia."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the April 2021 inspection. The registered manager is named as Mrs Lisa Mary Murphy, and the nominated individual is Mrs Dawn Berry, both connected to the provider Borough Care Ltd. A Good Well-led rating suggests inspectors found adequate governance, culture, and accountability. No specific detail about management visibility, staff empowerment, or how the home responded to the previous Requires Improvement rating is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good leadership is the foundation everything else rests on. Our Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory: homes with consistent, visible managers perform better over time. The fact that Cawood House improved from Requires Improvement to Good is a positive signal about leadership effectiveness. However, the inspection is now more than four years old. Staff turnover, management changes, and occupancy growth can all affect quality after an inspection. Communication with families accounts for 11.5% of positive mentions in our review data, and that too depends on leadership setting the tone.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that bottom-up staff empowerment, where care workers feel able to raise concerns without fear, is one of the strongest indicators of sustained quality in care homes. Managers who are present on the floor, not just in the office, reinforce this culture.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at Cawood House and whether there have been significant changes to the permanent staff team since the 2021 inspection. Then ask what the process is for raising a concern about your parent's care, and what happened the last time a family raised a complaint."}

  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 dementia care alongside general support for older adults. They understand the specific needs that come with memory loss and work to create routines that feel familiar and reassuring.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the staff take time to learn individual preferences and patterns. This personal knowledge helps them provide care that feels natural rather than institutional. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.