Cleeve House

What families say

The interior feels welcoming and homely, with pleasant views creating a peaceful setting. One family found that staff engaged with their relative as an individual throughout her dementia journey, finding ways to bring moments of happiness even as her condition progressed.

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement52
• Food quality52
• Healthcare52
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-01-04 · Report published 2019-01-04 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection. This indicates inspectors were satisfied that risk was being managed appropriately, that safeguarding processes were in place and that staffing levels were considered adequate for the home's 23 residents. No specific concerns about medicine management, falls, or infection control are referenced in the available report text. The monitoring review of July 2023 did not prompt any change to this rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety means inspectors did not find significant gaps at the time of the inspection. However, the published report provides no detail about night staffing numbers, agency staff reliance, or how the home logs and learns from falls or incidents u2014 and these are exactly the areas where safety can quietly slip in smaller homes. Research across care homes consistently shows that night staffing ratios are where risk is highest, particularly for people living with dementia who may be more mobile or distressed after dark. With only 23 beds, this is a small home, which can mean a more consistent team u2014 but it can also mean fewer staff on any given shift. You should ask directly how many staff are on duty overnight and how that figure is maintained when someone calls in sick.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research / Leeds Beckett, 2026) identifies night staffing as the single highest-risk period in residential dementia care, and notes that agency staff unfamiliar with individual residents significantly increase the risk of missed distress signals and medication errors.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'How many staff are on duty overnight, and what happens if one of them calls in sick u2014 do you use agency staff or do permanent staff cover?' Then ask to see the falls log and ask what happens after a fall is recorded."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection, indicating inspectors were satisfied that care planning, staff training and healthcare access met required standards. Cleeve House holds a registered specialism in dementia care, which means it has formally declared competency in this area. No specific detail about training content, GP access frequency, nutrition monitoring or care plan personalisation is available in the published report text. The July 2023 monitoring review found no reason to change this rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, the quality of care planning and staff training matters enormously u2014 these are what determine whether the home truly understands who your mum or dad is as a person, not just as a set of care needs. A dementia specialism registration and a Good Effective rating are encouraging, but neither tells you whether staff have trained in specific dementia communication approaches, whether your parent's care plan would be reviewed with you present, or whether the home can adapt quickly when your parent's needs change. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans work best as living documents updated in genuine partnership with families u2014 not reviewed once a year as a tick-box exercise. Ask the home how often plans are reviewed and whether you would be invited to contribute.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans which are co-produced with families and updated at least quarterly are significantly associated with better outcomes for people with dementia, particularly around nutrition, pain recognition and behavioural support.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'How often is a care plan formally reviewed, and would I be invited to take part in that review?' Also ask: 'What dementia-specific training have your staff completed, and when did they last do it?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection, indicating inspectors found that staff treated residents with kindness, dignity and respect. This is the domain most directly linked to the day-to-day experience of your parent. However, the published report text contains no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no specific observations of staff interactions, and no examples of how dignity or independence were promoted in practice. The monitoring review of July 2023 did not identify any deterioration in this area.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Warmth and dignity are the themes families care most about when choosing a care home u2014 accounting for over 55% of the weighting in DCC family review data. A Good Caring rating is the foundation you want to see, but the absence of specific inspection detail means you cannot rely on the report alone to judge whether the culture here is genuinely kind. When you visit, pay attention to whether staff greet your parent u2014 or any resident u2014 by name without prompting. Watch how staff respond if a resident becomes confused or asks the same question twice. These small moments, not the rating, will tell you whether this is a warm place. Good Practice research consistently shows that non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, unhurried touch, eye contact u2014 matters as much as words for people with advanced dementia.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies non-verbal communication skills as a core component of effective dementia care, noting that people with advanced dementia retain emotional memory even when verbal comprehension declines u2014 meaning that how staff make your parent feel is more important than what they say.","watch_out":"During your visit, stand in a corridor or communal space for ten minutes and watch how staff interact with residents passing by. Are interactions warm and unhurried, or transactional and task-focused? Do staff use residents' preferred names without being prompted?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection, suggesting inspectors found that the home was meeting individual needs and providing meaningful activities. Cleeve House is registered to care for people with dementia, which implies some tailoring of activities to this group. No specific detail about activity programmes, one-to-one engagement, complaint handling or end-of-life care planning is available in the published report text. The July 2023 monitoring review found no change to this assessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a parent living with dementia, having a life at their care home u2014 not just being kept safe u2014 is what separates a good placement from a great one. DCC family review data shows that activities and resident happiness together account for nearly half of what families mention when they describe a home they love. A Good Responsive rating indicates the baseline is there, but the published report gives no window into what daily life actually looks like at Cleeve House. Research strongly supports the value of individual, tailored engagement for people who can no longer participate in group activities u2014 simple tasks like folding, gardening, or looking through familiar photographs can have a profound effect on wellbeing. Ask the home directly whether your parent would receive one-to-one time, and ask to see a recent week's activity schedule.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review (61 studies, 2026) found consistent evidence that individual, person-centred activities u2014 including Montessori-based approaches and familiar household tasks u2014 significantly reduce anxiety and agitation in people with dementia, particularly those who can no longer engage with group sessions.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'If my parent can't join a group activity u2014 because they're having a difficult day or because group settings don't suit them u2014 what would happen? Would someone sit with them individually?' Ask to see an actual activity schedule from the past two weeks, not a planned one."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection, and named leadership is recorded: Mrs Rebecca Pamela Mavis Finch is the registered manager, and Mr Darren John Mills is the nominated individual. This structure indicates formal accountability is in place. No detail is available about management visibility on the floor, staff culture, quality assurance processes, or how the home handles complaints and concerns. The monitoring review of July 2023 found no evidence requiring a reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of consistent care quality in small residential homes. Knowing that Cleeve House has a named registered manager is a positive indicator, but the report is now over six years old u2014 you should ask directly whether the same manager is still in post, and how long they have been there. Research consistently shows that homes where the manager is visible on the floor, known to residents by name, and approachable by families tend to sustain quality better than those where leadership is more distant. DCC family review data shows that communication with management is a key factor in family confidence u2014 particularly when a parent's needs change or a concern arises. Ask how you would raise a concern and what would happen next.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies leadership continuity as a primary predictor of care quality trajectory: homes with stable, visible managers who empower staff to raise concerns consistently outperform those with high management turnover, regardless of headline inspection ratings.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'Is the same registered manager still in post, and how long have they been at Cleeve House?' Also ask: 'If I had a concern about my parent's care, who would I speak to and how quickly would I get a response?'"}

  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 in dementia care.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff here understand that dementia doesn't erase the person. One family described how carers continued to find ways to connect emotionally with their relative, sustaining meaningful moments right through to end-of-life care. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.