Dearne Hall care home, Rotherham

What families say

Families describe staff who are consistently friendly and caring in their daily interactions. There's a real sense that residents feel comfortable here, with relatives noting how positively their loved ones speak about the home.

Based on 4 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality60
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-11-15 · Report published 2022-11-15 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain is rated Good, an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This means inspectors were satisfied with how the home manages risks, medicines, and keeps people protected from harm. The service passed the threshold for staffing levels, safeguarding processes and infection control. The improvement from a previous lower rating suggests specific safety concerns were identified and addressed. No concerns remained outstanding at the time of inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating gives a reasonable baseline of assurance that your mum or dad is protected from the most serious risks. However, the Good Practice evidence base is clear that safety often varies by time of day u2014 and night staffing is where gaps most commonly emerge. Families in our review data who reported concerns about safety most often described problems that happened after 8pm or at weekends, not during the inspection window. The improvement from Requires Improvement is genuinely encouraging, but the published report does not specify staffing ratios, agency usage or how falls are logged and reviewed. These are questions worth asking directly before you decide.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that safety incidents in care homes disproportionately occur at night and at weekends, when staffing is thinner and senior oversight less consistent. Learning from incidents u2014 tracking what happened and changing practice u2014 is one of the strongest markers of a genuinely safe home.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask: 'How many staff are on duty overnight on the dementia unit, and is there always a senior member of staff present after 10pm?' Then ask to see the falls log u2014 a well-run home will show you it without hesitation."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain is rated Good, covering care planning, staff training, dementia expertise, healthcare access and nutrition. Dementia is listed as a specialism, meaning the home holds itself out as equipped for this group u2014 and inspectors did not find evidence to contradict that. Previous Requires Improvement status across the service means care planning was likely an area that needed work, now resolved. No specifics about GP access arrangements, dementia training content or food quality are available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, 'Effective' is about whether staff actually know what they are doing u2014 not just whether they have attended a training course. Our family review data shows that 12.7% of positive reviews specifically mention staff understanding dementia behaviours. A care plan that describes your parent as an individual u2014 their preferred name, what they ate as a child, what music they love u2014 is one of the clearest signs of genuinely effective care. Good Practice research is clear that care plans should function as living documents updated at least monthly, not paperwork filed away. Ask to see how your parent's plan would be written and who would write it.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that dementia training which goes beyond basic awareness u2014 covering communication, behaviour as communication, and person-centred approaches u2014 is associated with meaningfully better outcomes for people with dementia. Tick-box e-learning alone is insufficient.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'If my parent's needs change significantly u2014 say, they stop eating well or become very distressed at night u2014 how quickly would their care plan be updated and who would contact me?' A confident, specific answer suggests genuine practice. A vague one warrants further scrutiny."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain is rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, privacy and supporting independence. This is consistently the domain families weight most heavily u2014 our review data shows staff warmth and compassion account for over 57% and 55% respectively of what drives positive family satisfaction. Inspectors were satisfied that the standard of care interaction met the Good threshold. However, no direct quotes from residents or relatives are available in the published summary, and no specific observations from inspectors about hallway interactions, mealtimes or response to distress are included.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Caring is the domain your gut will assess the moment you walk through the door. Does a member of staff make eye contact with your parent, not just with you? Do they use your parent's preferred name without being reminded? Our Good Practice evidence base emphasises that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people with dementia u2014 a calm tone, an unhurried pace, sitting at eye level. A Good rating here is a positive signal, but it is the visit, not the report, that will tell you whether the warmth is real. The absence of resident or family quotes in the available text means we cannot point you to specific moments that impressed inspectors.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care u2014 where staff know and respond to the individual, not just the diagnosis u2014 is associated with lower rates of distress behaviours and higher wellbeing in people with dementia. Knowing preferred names, life histories and daily routines is not a nice addition; it is core clinical practice.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch what happens when a member of staff passes your parent in the corridor u2014 do they stop, make eye contact and speak to them by name, or walk past? This small interaction is one of the most reliable real-time indicators of a genuinely caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain is rated Good, covering meaningful activities, individual engagement, end-of-life planning, and family involvement. This domain asks whether your parent will have a life here u2014 not just be kept safe and clean. The Good rating implies inspectors were satisfied that activities were offered, individual preferences were considered, and complaints were handled appropriately. No specific detail about activity programmes, one-to-one engagement for people who cannot join groups, or family communication frequency is available in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For families, 'Responsive' is the difference between a home where your parent exists and one where they live. Our review data shows that resident happiness and activities together account for nearly 50% of what drives family satisfaction scores. Good Practice research is particularly clear that group activities alone are insufficient for people with advanced dementia u2014 meaningful one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks like folding, sorting or simple cooking, is associated with measurably better wellbeing. A Good rating here is reassuring, but the published report does not specify what activities are offered, how often, or what happens for someone who cannot participate in a group. This is a crucial question for your visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and household-task approaches u2014 where people with dementia engage in familiar, purposeful activities scaled to their current ability u2014 produced stronger wellbeing outcomes than traditional group entertainment. The key is tailoring to the individual, not filling a timetable.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual activity schedule for the past two weeks, not the planned one. Then ask: 'What would a typical afternoon look like for my parent if they are not able to join a group activity?' A specific, confident answer is a very good sign."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain is rated Good, which covers management visibility, culture, governance, staff support and learning from incidents. This is perhaps the most significant rating for Dearne Hall given its improvement from Requires Improvement u2014 Well-led is the domain that drives all others, and its improvement to Good suggests genuine leadership change, not cosmetic compliance. Named leadership is confirmed: Registered Manager Mrs Joanna Rose Boswell and Nominated Individual Mr Daniel Ryan are in post. The home is part of Anchor Hanover Group, which provides organisational governance infrastructure. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no reason to alter the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research is unambiguous: leadership stability is the single strongest predictor of care quality trajectory. A home that has improved from Requires Improvement to Good under the same manager is a meaningfully different proposition from one that achieved Good and has since had three manager changes. Our family review data shows that 23.4% of family satisfaction is driven by management quality u2014 and families notice this most when something goes wrong and the manager's response is visible, honest and prompt. The July 2023 monitoring review maintaining the Good rating adds a further layer of reassurance that the improvement has been sustained, not just achieved for inspection day.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear u2014 where culture flows bottom-up as well as top-down u2014 consistently outperform homes with compliance-focused, top-down cultures, even when formal governance systems look similar on paper.","watch_out":"Ask to speak briefly with the Registered Manager directly, not through a receptionist. Ask them: 'What is the biggest thing that changed here over the past two years?' How they answer u2014 whether they are specific, honest and engaged u2014 will tell you more about the leadership culture than any document."}

  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 welcomes adults of all ages, including younger people who need care support. They have experience caring for people living with dementia alongside their general residential services.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home's emphasis on warm, patient interactions could provide important reassurance. The team understands the value of consistent, caring relationships in dementia support. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.