Eastfield Farm

What families say

The unrestricted visiting hours mean relatives can pop in whenever works for their schedule, and they're always made to feel welcome when they do. The rural setting particularly suits residents who've spent their lives in the countryside and find comfort in familiar landscapes.

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth65
• Compassion & dignity65
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership70
• Resident happiness60

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-08-09 · Report published 2018-08-09 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the July 2018 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This means inspectors were satisfied that risks were being managed appropriately, medicines were handled safely, and staffing was sufficient at the time of inspection. However, the published report text does not include specific observations, numbers or examples to explain how safety is maintained in practice. No details about night staffing levels, agency staff use, or falls management processes are available from the published findings. A subsequent monitoring review in July 2023 found no reason to reassess the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Safe: Good rating after a previous Requires Improvement is genuinely reassuring u2014 it means inspectors found real improvement, not just paperwork. But for families whose parent has dementia, the shift from day to night is often where safety slips. Our Good Practice evidence base, drawn from 61 studies, consistently identifies night staffing ratios as the point where care homes are most vulnerable. The 2023 monitoring review suggests no major concerns have emerged since 2018, but the absence of specific data means you need to ask direct questions on your visit. Medicines management and falls logging are two areas worth probing specifically.","evidence_base":"IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University (2026) found that night staffing ratios and reliance on agency staff are the two variables most consistently associated with safety incidents in residential dementia care u2014 neither is addressed in the published findings for this home.","watch_out":"Ask directly: 'How many staff are on duty overnight, and how many of those are permanent members of your team rather than agency?' A safe home will answer this without hesitation and will be able to tell you about the induction process for any agency staff who do work here."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, meaning inspectors were broadly satisfied that staff had the skills and knowledge to care for residents appropriately, that care plans were in place, and that healthcare needs were being met. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which implies some structured approach to dementia care training and practice. No specific training records, care plan examples, GP access data or nutrition observations are described in the published report text. The home supports people with a range of needs including dementia, learning disabilities and physical disabilities, so staff are expected to have a broad skill set.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"When your mum or dad has dementia, 'Effective' means more than ticking boxes u2014 it means staff know who your parent is, not just what their diagnosis is. Our family review data shows that 12.7% of positive reviews specifically mention dementia-specific understanding, and those families describe staff who adjust their communication, anticipate needs and treat care plans as living documents rather than filed paperwork. The Good rating here is positive but gives you little detail to work with. Ask to see how the home has adapted its approach for someone at your parent's particular stage of dementia.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans function as meaningful tools only when reviewed regularly with family input and updated to reflect changes in the person's condition u2014 the inspection does not confirm whether this practice is in place at Eastfield Farm.","watch_out":"Ask: 'How often is a care plan formally reviewed, and would we as a family be invited to take part?' A home confident in its Effective practice will have a clear answer and will actively want family involvement."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, meaning inspectors were satisfied that residents were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. This is the domain most closely aligned with what families tell us matters most u2014 57.3% of positive care home reviews mention warm, friendly staff. However, the published report contains no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no descriptions of specific staff interactions, and no observations from inspectors about how staff spoke to or supported residents during the visit. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating suggests something meaningful changed, but the published text does not describe what that was.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data is unambiguous: warmth and compassion are what families remember most, and what they most often praise or mourn. A Caring: Good rating means inspectors did not find the kind of failures u2014 dismissiveness, undignified routines, residents left waiting u2014 that trigger concern. But the absence of quotes or observations in the published report means you cannot verify from this document alone whether the warmth is consistent and genuine. For someone with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, unhurried pace, use of your parent's preferred name u2014 matters as much as anything else, and these are things you can only assess by visiting.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research confirms that in dementia care, the quality of non-verbal communication u2014 touch, pace, eye contact u2014 is as important as verbal interaction, and that person-led care requires staff to know each individual's history, preferences and communication style.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch how staff speak to residents in corridors and communal areas u2014 not just in formal interactions. Do they use names, make eye contact, and move at the resident's pace? Ask: 'What name does my parent prefer to be called, and how would you find that out on their first day?'"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, meaning inspectors were satisfied that the home was meeting residents' individual needs, including activities, social engagement and end-of-life care planning. The home supports people with dementia, learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment u2014 a diverse range of needs that requires genuinely tailored, individualised responses. No activity timetables, individual engagement examples, or end-of-life care descriptions are included in the published report text. Families welcomed and communication with relatives are not specifically described.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Twenty-one per cent of positive care home reviews in our family data mention activities and engagement u2014 but what families are actually describing is whether their parent has a life, not just a routine. For someone with more advanced dementia who may not be able to join group activities, individual one-to-one engagement becomes critical. A Responsive: Good rating suggests the home is not ignoring this, but the published report gives you no evidence of what that looks like in practice at Eastfield Farm. The farm setting raises an interesting question too: does the environment itself u2014 potentially gardens, outdoor space, sensory elements u2014 form part of how the home responds to individual residents?","evidence_base":"Leeds Beckett University research identified Montessori-based approaches and involvement in everyday household tasks as among the most effective engagement strategies for people with dementia u2014 particularly for those who cannot participate in structured group activities.","watch_out":"Ask: 'For a resident who can't join group activities u2014 perhaps someone who gets anxious in groups or has advanced dementia u2014 what would a typical morning look like? Who would spend one-to-one time with them, and what would they do together?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-Led domain was rated Good, and named leadership is clearly in place: Mrs Rachel Reynolds is the Registered Manager and Mrs Susan Bowden is the Nominated Individual. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all five domains between inspections is a significant indicator of effective leadership u2014 something changed, and that change was sustained long enough to satisfy inspectors in July 2018. A monitoring review in July 2023, over five years later, found no reason to reassess the rating. However, no details about management visibility, staff culture, governance processes or how the home handled the previous improvement period are described in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Our Good Practice evidence base found that homes where the manager is known to staff, visible on the floor, and genuinely approachable tend to sustain quality better than those where leadership is distant or frequently changing. The fact that Eastfield Farm improved from Requires Improvement to a clean sweep of Good ratings suggests there was real leadership drive behind that change. The registered manager's name is publicly available u2014 that transparency is a basic but meaningful signal. When you visit, your instinct about whether the manager knows the residents by name is often more telling than any document.","evidence_base":"IFF Research (2026) found that leadership stability and a culture where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear are the two most consistent predictors of sustained quality in care homes u2014 both of which can only be assessed through a direct visit and conversation.","watch_out":"Ask to meet the Registered Manager during your visit and note whether she can speak about individual residents with specific knowledge. Also ask: 'How long have you been in post, and have there been significant staffing changes in the last year?' A stable, confident manager will welcome these questions."}

  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 provides care for people over 65 with a range of needs including sensory impairments, physical disabilities and learning disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on Dementia care is offered here, with the peaceful countryside setting potentially providing a calming environment for residents. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.