Evergreen Court

What families say

Families describe the staff here as brilliant and wonderful in their approach to care. There's a warmth that comes through in how the team interacts with everyone — an easy, affectionate way of being that helps create a welcoming atmosphere.

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
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-01-29 · Report published 2020-01-29 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated this domain Good, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement finding. A Good Safe rating indicates that inspectors were satisfied with safeguarding arrangements, risk management, medicine handling, and staffing levels at the time of the visit. No specific concerns about safety practices were flagged in the available report text. The home is registered for 17 beds, which at this size should allow for relatively close staff-to-resident ratios, though exact numbers are not published. No information about falls rates, incident logging, or infection control practices is described in the available findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating u2014 particularly following a previous Requires Improvement u2014 tells you that inspectors found meaningful improvement in how risk is managed. For a parent with dementia, safety is rarely about a single dramatic event; it is about consistent, attentive presence, especially at night and during personal care. Our family review data shows that 'staff attentiveness' features in 14% of the most meaningful positive reviews families leave u2014 it is often described in small, specific moments: a staff member noticing a parent was quieter than usual, or catching a change in mobility before a fall happens. The Good Practice evidence base flags night staffing as the area where safety most commonly slips, and this report provides no information about overnight arrangements at Evergreen Court. Until you have that answer, the rating alone cannot fully reassure you about your parent's safety after dark.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of safety lapses in care homes u2014 not because agency staff are less capable, but because unfamiliarity with individual residents means warning signs are missed. A home with stable, permanent staffing is a safer home for someone with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the home directly: 'How many permanent members of staff are on duty on the dementia unit after 8pm, and what is your current use of agency staff?' Then ask to see the incident log for the last three months to check whether falls and near-misses are being recorded and acted upon."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, nutrition, and the extent to which staff understand each resident's individual needs. No specific detail about dementia training content, care plan review schedules, GP visit frequency, or nutritional monitoring is provided in the available inspection text. The home's registration as a dementia specialist service means inspectors would have considered dementia-specific competencies as part of this assessment. The improvement from Requires Improvement suggests that any earlier gaps in practice have been addressed, though the nature of those gaps is not described.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a parent with dementia, 'effective' care is not just about medication being given correctly u2014 it is about whether the people looking after your mum or dad actually understand how dementia affects behaviour, communication, and physical health. A Good rating here is encouraging, but our family review data shows that dementia-specific care knowledge features in 12.7% of the most meaningful positive family reviews, and what families value most is staff who can interpret what their parent is trying to communicate even when words have gone. Food quality and choice appear in 20.9% of the most meaningful family reviews u2014 it is one of the clearest everyday markers of whether genuine care is being taken. The inspection does not tell us what food is like at Evergreen Court, so this is worth exploring in person.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as 'living documents' that should be reviewed with family involvement at least every three months u2014 and more frequently following any significant change. Homes where care plans are genuinely personalised, rather than generic, show measurably better outcomes for residents with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'Can I see an example of how a care plan is structured u2014 specifically how it captures what a resident with dementia finds comforting and what triggers distress?' Then ask how often plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, encompassing staff warmth, dignity, respect, and independence. This is the domain families most frequently cite as their primary concern in our review data. No direct observations of staff interactions, no resident quotes, and no specific examples of dignified or compassionate care are recorded in the available inspection text. The Good rating implies inspectors were satisfied with what they observed, but the absence of detail means it is not possible to verify the specific quality of everyday interactions. Staff-to-resident familiarity u2014 particularly knowing preferred names, personal histories, and communication styles u2014 is critical for dementia care and is not described.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is by far the most important theme in our family review data, appearing in 57.3% of the most meaningful positive reviews u2014 and compassion and dignity are close behind at 55.2%. When families describe what mattered most about a care home, it almost always comes down to whether the staff genuinely liked their parent, knew their name, and treated them as a person rather than a task. A Good Caring rating is meaningful, but it cannot tell you whether the staff member who cares for your mum on a Wednesday morning will know that she was a retired teacher who loves gardening. That knowledge only comes from a visit u2014 and from watching what happens in the spaces between formal care: mealtimes, corridors, sitting areas.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base highlights that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia. Homes where staff are trained to read body language, facial expression, and behavioural cues u2014 and to respond accordingly u2014 consistently show better resident wellbeing outcomes than those where communication training focuses only on speech.","watch_out":"When you visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes without engaging with staff. Watch whether staff initiate conversation with residents spontaneously, use preferred names, and slow their pace when a resident needs more time. A single observed interaction tells you more than any rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and how the home responds to changing needs. No specific description of the activities programme, timetable, or individual engagement provision is available in the inspection text. For a 17-bed dementia-specialist home, responsiveness should include both group activities and meaningful one-to-one engagement for residents who cannot participate in groups u2014 but neither is described. End-of-life planning, which falls under Responsive, is also not referenced in the available findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a parent with dementia, having a life in a care home is not about a busy activities calendar u2014 it is about moments of genuine engagement that connect to who they were before dementia. Our family review data shows that resident happiness and settled wellbeing appear in 27.1% of the most meaningful positive reviews, and activities appear in 21.4%. What families describe most positively is not organised entertainment, but small, personalised moments: a staff member who knew your dad had been a gardener and brought in some seeds, or who sat with your mum and looked through old photographs. The Good Practice evidence base supports Montessori-based and everyday-task approaches for people with dementia u2014 folding laundry, arranging flowers, laying a table u2014 as more effective than passive group entertainment. Whether Evergreen Court takes this approach is not possible to determine from the available inspection text.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies that one-to-one activity provision for people with advanced dementia who cannot join group sessions is a consistent marker of high-quality responsive care. Homes that rely solely on group programmes typically fail to reach the residents with highest need.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: 'What happens for a resident who can't join a group session u2014 for example, someone who becomes distressed in busy environments?' Ask to see the activities rota for the previous two weeks, not just a prospective plan."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-Led domain was rated Good, and a named Registered Manager u2014 Miss Katie Elizabeth Hodgson u2014 and Nominated Individual u2014 Mr Sanjai Ahitan u2014 are both recorded in the registration data, indicating a clear and accountable leadership structure. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all five domains is a meaningful indicator that leadership has driven genuine change rather than superficial compliance. No information about manager tenure, staff culture, bottom-up empowerment, or governance processes is described in the available inspection text. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a reassessment, suggesting the improvements have been sustained.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good leadership in a care home is most visible in what staff feel able to do without being asked u2014 raising a concern, spending an extra few minutes with a resident who is upset, or telling a family member honestly when something has changed. Our family review data shows that management and communication with families together account for a significant proportion of what families value most. The improvement trajectory at Evergreen Court is genuinely positive u2014 a home that has moved from Requires Improvement to a consistent Good rating has demonstrated that its leadership can identify problems and fix them. What we cannot tell you from the available text is how stable the management team is, or whether the culture encourages staff to speak up.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in care homes. A manager who has been in post for more than two years, who is visible on the floor rather than desk-bound, and who staff can name as a source of support, is associated with significantly better resident outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask directly: 'How long has the current registered manager been in post, and how long have most of your permanent care staff been here?' High staff turnover is a warning sign even in a Good-rated home u2014 consistency of face is one of the most important things for a person with dementia."}

  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, including those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those caring for someone with dementia, the home offers specialised support. The team understands the unique challenges families face and provides care tailored to each person's needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.