Charlotte Grange Care Home

What families say

Based on 9 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
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-20 · Report published 2023-05-20 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the January 2023 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous rating of Requires Improvement. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, safeguarding, and infection control. No specific inspector observations, staffing numbers, or medicines incidents are described in the published report text. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in this domain is the most significant change to note, as it suggests that earlier safety concerns have been addressed. Families should verify this progress directly with the manager.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A previous Requires Improvement in Safe is the most important piece of context here. The fact that it has now been rated Good is encouraging, but the published report does not explain what specifically went wrong before or what changed. Good Practice research from the IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in residential homes, and agency reliance as a factor that undermines consistency of care for people with dementia. With 46 residents, including people living with dementia, you need to know how many permanent staff are on duty after 8pm and how often agency cover is used. Ask for the actual rotas, not a template.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that night staffing ratios and reliance on agency staff are two of the strongest predictors of safety incidents in residential dementia care. Permanent staff who know residents well are better placed to notice subtle changes in health or behaviour.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the planned template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency staff, and ask specifically how many carers are on duty overnight for all 46 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well the home uses information to improve outcomes for residents. No specific detail about dementia training content, care plan quality, GP access arrangements, or food provision is included in the published report text. The Good rating applies across the full range of what Effective measures, but families cannot draw conclusions about any specific aspect from the published text alone.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Food quality appears in 20.9% of positive family reviews in the DCC dataset, and healthcare access appears in 20.2%, making both important to families of people with dementia. The Good Practice evidence review identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed regularly with family input, not filed and forgotten. The published report does not confirm whether Charlotte Grange meets this standard. Dementia-specific training is another area the published text does not address: ask what training staff have completed, when, and whether it covers communication with people who have limited verbal ability.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans treated as active, regularly reviewed documents, rather than administrative records, are associated with better personalised care outcomes for people with dementia. Family involvement in reviews is identified as a key quality marker.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often your parent's care plan would be formally reviewed, who is involved in those reviews, and whether you would be invited to take part. Then ask to see an example of a completed care plan (anonymised if necessary) to judge the level of detail for yourself."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. This is the domain most closely linked to the daily experience your parent would have. No specific inspector observations, resident quotes, or examples of caring practice are recorded in the published report text. The Good rating is a positive signal but cannot substitute for what you observe on a visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in the DCC review dataset, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity appear in 55.2%. These are the things families notice first and remember longest. The Good Practice evidence review highlights that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication, such as a calm tone, unhurried pace, and physical reassurance, matters as much as what is said. Because the published report gives no specific examples of how staff interact with residents at Charlotte Grange, your own visit is the only reliable source of this information.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review identifies person-led care, knowing the individual's history, preferred name, and daily routines, as the foundation of dignified dementia care. Homes where staff have stable, long-term relationships with residents consistently show better dignity outcomes.","watch_out":"During your visit, spend time watching staff interact with residents in communal areas, not just in a formal meeting with the manager. Notice whether staff make eye contact, use residents' preferred names without prompting, and whether anyone appears to be hurrying a resident through a task or conversation."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, person-centred care, and end-of-life planning. The home is registered as a specialist dementia service, which means responsiveness to individual needs is particularly important. No specific detail about the activities programme, one-to-one engagement, or end-of-life practice is included in the published report text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement appear in 21.4% of positive family reviews in the DCC dataset, and resident happiness appears in 27.1%, making both strong priorities for families. The Good Practice evidence review emphasises that group activities are not enough for people with advanced dementia: tailored one-to-one engagement and meaningful everyday tasks, such as folding laundry, tending plants, or looking through photographs, are the approaches with the strongest evidence base. The published report does not confirm whether Charlotte Grange offers this kind of individual engagement. Asking specifically about one-to-one activity provision is one of the most important questions you can put to the manager.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and individual activity approaches, rather than group sessions alone, are associated with measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with moderate to advanced dementia, including reduced agitation and improved mood.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what would happen on a typical afternoon for your parent if they were unable or unwilling to join a group session. Ask how many hours per week of one-to-one activity time each resident receives, and ask to see the activity records for the past month rather than just the planned timetable."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, and a named registered manager, Mrs Wendy Nicholson, is confirmed in post. A nominated individual, Mrs Shirley Ann Rowe, is also named, indicating a clear organisational structure. The home is run by Park Homes (UK) Limited. The Well-led domain covers management culture, governance, staff support, and accountability. No specific detail about manager tenure, staff surveys, incident review processes, or how the home responded to the previous Requires Improvement rating is included in the published report text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership appear in 23.4% of positive family reviews in the DCC dataset. The Good Practice evidence review identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory: homes with a consistent, experienced manager in post tend to sustain and build on improvements, while homes that change managers frequently can regress. The previous Requires Improvement rating makes this question particularly relevant for Charlotte Grange. Knowing how long the current manager has been in post, and what specific changes she led to achieve the improved rating, will give you a much clearer picture of whether this improvement is likely to hold.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that homes where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear, and where managers are visible on the floor rather than office-based, consistently outperform those with a more hierarchical culture on resident wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, and what were the main changes you made after the previous inspection? Then ask a care worker the same question informally. If their accounts broadly match, that is a good sign that the improvement is genuine and understood across the team."}

  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 specialises in caring for adults over 65, with particular experience supporting people living with dementia. This focused approach means the team understands the specific needs that come with later life.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the care team works to maintain familiar routines and provide appropriate activities. The home's experience with dementia care helps create an environment where people feel secure and understood. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.