Chrislyn House

What families say

Based on 3 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth70
• Compassion & dignity70
• Cleanliness68
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership70
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-07-05 · Report published 2019-07-05 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The official inspection rated Chrislyn House as Good for safety. No specific findings from the inspection are available in the published summary to describe what inspectors observed. The July 2023 monitoring review found nothing to trigger a reassessment of this rating. The home is a small 19-bed service with a wide range of resident needs, including dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is a positive baseline, but for a home supporting people with dementia alongside other complex needs, the detail behind that rating matters enormously. Our family review data shows that attentive staffing u2014 particularly at night and at weekends u2014 is one of the things families notice most and worry about most. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety is most likely to slip in smaller homes, and that heavy reliance on agency staff undermines the consistent, familiar presence that people with dementia need to feel secure. Because the full inspection report is from 2021, you cannot assume current staffing arrangements match what was inspected. Ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) identifies night-time staffing levels and agency staff reliance as two of the most significant predictors of safety risk in dementia care settings, particularly in smaller homes where there is less margin for cover.","watch_out":"Ask the home: how many permanent, named staff are on duty overnight across the 19 beds, and what is your policy when a permanent staff member calls in sick u2014 how often in the last three months have you used agency cover at night?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated effectiveness as Good. No specific findings about care planning, training, healthcare access or food are available in the published summary. The home lists dementia as a specialism alongside eating disorders, learning disabilities and mental health conditions u2014 a combination that requires staff with genuinely varied skills and training. The registered manager is named and in post.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, effectiveness means that staff know who they are, what they need and how to meet those needs u2014 not just at the point of a care plan review, but every day. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care and healthcare access are among the themes families most frequently mention. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents updated regularly with family input, not administrative records reviewed once a year. Given this home's wide specialism mix, ask specifically how staff are trained to support someone with dementia who may also have other health conditions, and how often your parent's care plan would be formally reviewed with you present.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base highlights that regular, structured GP access and care plans that are actively maintained u2014 with family involvement u2014 are among the strongest predictors of good health outcomes for people with dementia in residential care.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample (anonymised) care plan and ask: how often are care plans reviewed, who attends those reviews, and how would you involve me as a family member if my parent's needs changed?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated caring as Good. No direct observations of staff interactions, quotes from residents or families, or specific examples of dignity and respect in practice are available from the published summary. The home supports a diverse group of residents including people with dementia, learning disabilities and mental health conditions u2014 groups for whom respectful, unhurried, person-centred interaction is particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth and compassion are the two highest-weighted themes in our family review data u2014 together they account for over half of what families say determines whether they feel confident in a care home. Good Practice research emphasises that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, physical proximity, the pace of an interaction u2014 often matters more than the words used. Because no direct evidence of caring interactions is available from the 2021 inspection, a visit is essential. Watch how staff speak to your parent during the visit: are they at eye level, unhurried, using your parent's preferred name? These small moments are the most reliable signal available to you.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review finds that person-led care u2014 where staff know an individual's history, preferences and communication style u2014 is the single most important factor in the quality of daily life for people with dementia, and that this knowledge is most reliably present where staff turnover is low.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff walking past residents in corridors acknowledge them by name or make eye contact u2014 and ask the manager: what is your staff turnover rate in the last 12 months, and how do new staff learn about the personal histories and preferences of individual residents?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated responsiveness as Good. No specific information about activities, individual engagement, end-of-life planning or how the home tailors its approach to individual residents is available from the published summary. The home's very wide range of specialisms u2014 spanning dementia, eating disorders, learning disabilities, mental health and sensory impairment u2014 suggests a diverse resident group whose activity and engagement needs would vary considerably.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, responsiveness means the home genuinely tries to give them a life u2014 not just a safe place to be. Our family review data shows resident happiness and activities are both significant drivers of family confidence. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient: people with advanced dementia or complex needs often need one-to-one engagement, including familiar household tasks, music, or sensory activities tailored to their personal history. In a small 19-bed home with this breadth of specialisms, ask specifically what an average Tuesday looks like for a resident with dementia who does not participate in group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review highlights Montessori-based and individual task-oriented approaches as particularly effective for people with dementia who are disengaged from or unable to participate in conventional group activities, with meaningful occupation shown to reduce distress and improve wellbeing.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator or manager: if my parent has dementia and finds group activities difficult, what would a typical day look like for them u2014 and can you show me your activity records for the last month so I can see how often individual one-to-one engagement actually happened?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated leadership as Good. A named Registered Manager u2014 Mrs Michelle Alison Guest u2014 is recorded in post, alongside a Nominated Individual, Mr Davin Dhanji Samji. The July 2023 monitoring review found nothing to prompt a reassessment of the Good rating. No specific observations of management culture, staff feedback mechanisms, quality auditing or governance processes are available from the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good leadership in a small care home like this is often felt rather than documented u2014 it shows up in whether staff seem confident and settled, whether the manager knows residents by name, and whether families feel their concerns are taken seriously. Our family review data shows that communication with families is a key theme: families want to know what is happening, and to feel that someone is accountable when things go wrong. Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory u2014 a home that retains a good manager tends to improve; one that loses them can deteriorate quickly. Ask how long the current manager has been in post and what the process is for raising a concern.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review identifies manager tenure and a culture that empowers staff to raise concerns without fear as the two most reliable structural indicators of sustained quality in smaller residential homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, what was the last complaint or concern raised by a family and what did you change as a result u2014 and ask to see the most recent internal quality audit report?"}

  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 supports people with sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. They also care for people with eating disorders and provide both respite and longer-term stays.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home offers specialist care alongside their other support services. This means they're set up to help people who might be managing dementia alongside other conditions. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.