Barchester – Derham House Care Home

What families say

Families consistently describe how their relatives express feeling safe and content here, with some noting remarkable transformations in wellbeing. The atmosphere seems to help even those who've struggled elsewhere to find their feet again. Residents participate in regular entertainment and outings at their own pace, with staff supporting rather than pushing involvement.

Based on 52 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality68
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-01-24 · Report published 2019-01-24 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection, an improvement from the previous assessment. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home manages risk. The published summary does not include specific observations about staffing ratios, night cover, or incident management. A Good rating in Safe indicates inspectors were satisfied that the home met required standards in these areas at the time of the visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safe is the baseline you need, but it does not tell you everything. Good Practice research consistently shows that safety is most likely to slip on night shifts, where staffing is thinner and oversight is lighter. With 65 beds, the ratio of carers to residents overnight matters enormously, particularly for residents with dementia who may be unsettled or at risk of falls in the dark. The improvement from Requires Improvement is genuinely positive and suggests the home recognised and addressed earlier problems. Ask directly about night staffing numbers and how falls are recorded and reviewed.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels are one of the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes, and that reliance on agency staff at night undermines the consistency that people with dementia need to feel settled and secure.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many permanent carers and how many nurses are on duty overnight on the dementia unit? Then ask to see the incident log for the last three months to check whether falls are being recorded and followed up consistently."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection. This domain covers the quality of care planning, staff training, access to healthcare professionals such as GPs and dietitians, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered whether staff training and care approaches were appropriate for residents living with dementia. No specific detail about training content, care plan quality, or food provision is available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effective care for someone with dementia depends on staff who understand the condition well enough to read non-verbal signals, adapt communication, and respond to behaviour that might look challenging but is usually an expression of an unmet need. A Good rating here is encouraging, but the inspection findings do not confirm whether training goes beyond basic compliance. Food quality is also captured in this domain, and our review data shows it features in 20.9% of positive family reviews, often as a proxy for how much care staff genuinely take. Ask to see the menu and, if possible, stay for a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that dementia-specific training which covers non-verbal communication, person-centred approaches, and responsive behaviour support produces measurable improvements in resident wellbeing, but generic care training alone does not reliably achieve the same outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia training staff complete beyond their induction, specifically whether it covers communication with people who can no longer use words reliably, and how recently the care plan for a resident with advanced dementia was last reviewed with the family present."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how well the home supports residents to maintain independence. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the quality of interactions and the culture of care observed. No specific quotes from residents or relatives and no detailed observations about staff behaviour are included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews by name. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not abstract values: they show up in whether staff knock before entering a room, use your parent's preferred name, sit at eye level to speak with them, and move without hurry. The inspection found this domain to be Good, which is meaningful, but the absence of specific observations means you cannot rely on the rating alone. A visit where you watch corridor interactions during a quiet period will tell you more than any published report.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that non-verbal communication, including eye contact, unhurried pace, and physical proximity, matters as much as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia, and that homes where staff routinely demonstrate these behaviours show lower rates of agitation and distress.","watch_out":"During your visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes without announcing yourself as a prospective family member. Notice whether staff passing through make eye contact with residents, whether anyone is left sitting alone without acknowledgement, and whether the pace feels calm or pressured."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection. This domain covers how well the home tailors its care to individual needs, the quality and variety of the activity programme, and arrangements for end-of-life care. The home specialises in dementia care, so responsiveness to the specific and changing needs of residents living with dementia is central to this rating. No specific examples of activities, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning are included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For someone with dementia, responsiveness means more than a weekly bingo session. Good Practice research shows that meaningful engagement, including everyday household tasks, familiar music, or one-to-one conversation, reduces agitation and supports a sense of identity. Our review data shows activities feature in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness in 27.1%. A Good rating here is encouraging, but the real test is whether the home can offer something purposeful to your parent on a Tuesday afternoon when they cannot join a group, perhaps because they are unsettled, tired, or simply not a group-activity person.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that individualised, Montessori-inspired activities and engagement in familiar domestic tasks produce stronger wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group-only programmes, and that homes relying solely on scheduled group activities often leave the most vulnerable residents without meaningful occupation.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator what would happen on a day when your parent could not join a group session. Request a specific example of a one-to-one activity offered to a resident with advanced dementia in the last month, and ask how this is recorded in the care plan."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the December 2018 inspection, an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. The home has a named registered manager, Miss Corina Popescu, and a nominated individual, Mr Dominic Jude Kay, providing a clear accountability structure. This domain covers the quality of management, staff culture, governance systems, and whether the home learns from incidents and complaints. The improvement in this domain from the previous inspection is particularly significant, as leadership quality is one of the strongest predictors of overall care quality over time.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the most reliable predictors of consistent care quality, a finding supported by both our review data and the Good Practice evidence base. Communication with families features in 11.5% of positive reviews. A home that has improved its Well-led rating is generally one where someone has taken ownership and made systematic changes rather than surface-level fixes. The presence of a named manager is a good sign, but what matters most to you is whether that manager is visible on the floor, known to residents by name, and accessible to families who have concerns. Ask specifically how long the current registered manager has been in post.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability, particularly a consistent registered manager, is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality improvement, and that homes which empower frontline staff to raise concerns without fear perform better on all quality indicators than those where feedback flows only downward.","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? A confident, specific answer tells you a great deal about whether improvement is embedded or cosmetic."}

  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 dementia care and supports adults over 65. Staff work with residents experiencing various stages of cognitive decline, adapting their approach to individual needs and capabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on The team shows particular skill in supporting residents with dementia to maintain their sense of self and connection. Even when communication becomes challenging, families observe staff respecting personal boundaries while still ensuring proper care and gentle encouragement. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.