Croftwood Care Home – Minster Care Group

What families say

Visitors notice how staff stop to chat with residents throughout the day, not just during scheduled activities. There's a warmth here that families pick up on — staff who know residents by name and personality, taking time for proper conversations rather than rushing through tasks.

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality60
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-03-27 · Report published 2019-03-27 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The published summary does not include specific inspector observations about any of these areas. A July 2023 desk-based review found no evidence to change this rating. No detail about agency staff use or night staffing ratios is recorded.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the absence of specific detail means you cannot rely on the published report alone to understand how safe Croftwood would be for your parent day to day. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes, particularly for people with dementia who may be at higher risk of falls or disorientation after dark. Our family review data shows that attentive, consistent staffing is mentioned in 14% of positive reviews, often in contrast to homes where agency cover creates a sense of unfamiliarity. At 47 beds, you would typically expect at least two night carers and a senior; ask for the actual figure and whether that includes dementia-specific cover.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that learning from incidents, particularly falls, is one of the clearest markers of a genuinely safe home. Homes that review every fall in detail and adjust care plans accordingly have measurably better outcomes than those that treat falls as isolated events.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency names appear on night shifts, and ask what the protocol is when your parent has a fall at 3am."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff training, care planning, GP access, nutrition, and how well the home understands and responds to individual health needs. No specific examples of dementia training content, care plan quality, or GP access arrangements are recorded in the published summary. The 2023 review did not identify any concern requiring reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a care home setting matters most for your parent when their needs change. A care plan that is updated regularly and reflects your parent's actual preferences, not just their diagnoses, is one of the strongest predictors of good outcomes according to the Good Practice evidence base. Food quality is also a meaningful signal: our family review data shows it appears in 20.9% of positive reviews, and Good Practice research links adequate nutrition support directly to wellbeing for people with dementia. Because the published report does not describe how care plans are reviewed or whether families are included, this is an area to probe directly when you visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated after every significant health change, with families actively involved. Homes that treat care plans as administrative paperwork rather than working tools tend to show slower responses when a resident's condition deteriorates.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample of how the home records a care plan review. Specifically ask how recently the dementia care section would typically be updated, and whether you would be contacted and invited to contribute each time."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and the extent to which residents are treated as individuals rather than a group. The published summary does not include inspector observations of staff interactions, use of preferred names, or responses to distress. No resident or relative quotes are recorded in the available report text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities; they show up in specific behaviours: whether staff knock before entering your parent's room, whether they use the name your parent prefers rather than a shortened version, and whether they move at your parent's pace rather than their own. Because the published inspection report does not record specific observations in this area, you need to observe these things yourself on a visit. A Good rating confirms inspectors were satisfied, but it does not tell you what that warmth actually looks like at Croftwood.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review emphasises that non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and physical proximity, is as important as spoken words for people with dementia. Staff who slow down and position themselves at eye level when speaking to a resident with advanced dementia produce measurably better responses than those who communicate while standing or moving.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch what happens when a member of staff passes a resident in the corridor. Do they stop, make eye contact, and use the resident's name? Or do they keep moving? This small moment is one of the most reliable indicators of the home's culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This covers activities, engagement, individualised care, and end-of-life planning. No specific activity programmes, one-to-one engagement approaches, or end-of-life planning arrangements are described in the published summary. The 2023 review found no evidence requiring a change to this rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness and meaningful engagement appear in 27.1% and 21.4% of positive family reviews respectively, making this one of the areas families care most about. For a parent with dementia, the difference between a good day and a distressing one often comes down to whether someone sits with them, offers a familiar task, or recognises that they are unsettled before it escalates. Good Practice research shows that one-to-one activities, including simple household tasks like folding, sorting, or tending plants, can provide continuity and calm for people who can no longer join group sessions. The published report does not confirm whether Croftwood offers this kind of individual engagement, so it is an important question to raise directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and activity-based approaches, particularly those involving familiar everyday tasks, reduce agitation and improve mood in people with moderate to advanced dementia. Group activities alone are insufficient for residents who cannot self-initiate participation.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what they would do for your parent on a day when they refused to join the group session. A specific, individualised answer is a good sign. A vague reference to television or rest is a reason to probe further."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. A named registered manager and nominated individual are recorded on the registration. The published summary does not describe management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints. The home is registered with Croftwood Care UK Limited as the operating organisation.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality is directly linked to what your parent experiences day to day, even if it is invisible on the surface. Our family review data shows management and leadership appear in 23.4% of positive reviews, often framed as families feeling heard and kept informed. Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of a home's quality trajectory: when a manager stays in post for several years and empowers staff to speak up, quality tends to improve or hold steady. The inspection that produced this Good rating was conducted in February 2021, over four years ago. Checking whether the registered manager named in the report is still in post is one of the most important questions you can ask, because a change in leadership can significantly affect the culture of a home.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that homes where staff feel safe to raise concerns without fear of reprisal consistently outperform those where a blame culture exists. Visible, stable management that models respectful behaviour sets the tone for how staff treat the people in their care.","watch_out":"Ask the home whether the registered manager named at the time of the last inspection is still in post. If there has been a change, ask how long the current manager has been in place and how many managers the home has had in the past three years."}

  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 Croftwood supports adults both under and over 65 with dementia and physical disabilities. They understand that younger people with care needs require a different approach than traditional elderly care.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home provides structured activities and events that families say bring genuine enjoyment. Staff maintain conversation and connection, recognizing each person as an individual. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.