Ferndale Court Care Home

What families say

Based on 9 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity52
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare72
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-03-29 · Report published 2019-03-29 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Safe was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The previous overall rating was Inadequate, so reaching Good in Safe represents a significant shift. No specific concerns about safety were flagged in the published summary. The full detail of what inspectors observed is not available in the published report excerpt.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safe means inspectors were broadly satisfied with the arrangements in place to protect your parent from harm. However, Good is not the same as outstanding, and families consistently tell us in our review data that staffing attentiveness is one of the things they notice most. The Good Practice evidence base flags night staffing as the area where safety most often slips in nursing homes, and with 58 residents across multiple specialisms, the numbers on duty overnight matter enormously. The home's improvement from Inadequate suggests genuine change, but it is worth verifying that the progress is embedded rather than temporary.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) found that safety incidents are significantly more likely to occur on night shifts and that homes with high agency staff use have less consistent incident-reporting cultures.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency names appear, and ask specifically how many qualified nurses are on duty overnight for 58 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. This domain covers staff training, care planning, healthcare access (including GP and specialist input), nutrition, and hydration. The home lists dementia as a specialism alongside mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, which requires staff to hold a range of clinical competencies. No specific detail about training content, care plan quality, or healthcare monitoring is available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating is a positive signal that the home is meeting care planning and training standards. For your parent, particularly if they are living with dementia, this matters because care plans should be living documents that reflect who your parent is today, not who they were at admission. Our review data shows that families rate dementia-specific care as a key concern (mentioned in 12.7% of positive reviews), and the Good Practice research found that homes with regular, family-inclusive care plan reviews produce measurably better outcomes. The published findings do not tell us how often Ferndale Court reviews care plans or whether families are involved, so you will need to ask.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans updated at least monthly and reviewed with family input were associated with better person-centred outcomes and fewer unplanned hospital admissions.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are reviewed and whether you would be invited to contribute. Ask to see a sample of how the home records a resident's personal preferences, daily routines, and communication needs, not just their medical history."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Caring was rated Requires Improvement at the December 2024 inspection. This is the only domain that did not reach Good and is the most significant concern for families considering Ferndale Court. The Caring domain covers whether staff treat people with warmth and respect, whether dignity and privacy are maintained, and whether residents are supported to be as independent as possible. The published report summary does not specify what inspectors found to justify this rating, which makes it difficult to assess the severity or nature of the concern.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow close behind at 55.2%. A Requires Improvement rating in Caring is therefore the finding that should matter most to you as you consider this home for your parent. It does not necessarily mean staff are unkind, but it does mean inspectors found something specific that fell short of the standard your parent deserves. The Good Practice research is clear that non-verbal communication, tone, pace, and the use of a person's preferred name, can be as important as any clinical intervention for someone living with dementia. You cannot assess this from a report; you need to visit and watch.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-centred caring behaviours, including the use of preferred names, unhurried interactions, and consistent staff assignment, are the factors most strongly associated with residents' reported wellbeing in dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to explain exactly what inspectors found under Caring in December 2024 and what specific actions the home has taken since then. During your visit, notice whether staff address residents by their preferred names without prompting and whether any interactions feel hurried or transactional."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. This domain covers how well the home meets individual needs, including activities, engagement, and end-of-life care. Given the range of specialisms (dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments), a Good Responsive rating suggests inspectors were satisfied that the home was adapting its approach to different needs. No specific detail about the activity programme, individual engagement, or end-of-life planning is available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Responsive rating is encouraging, particularly for a home supporting people with such varied needs. Our review data shows that activities and engagement are mentioned in 21.4% of positive reviews, and resident happiness (a sense that your parent has a life here, not just a bed) accounts for 27.1% of what families value most. The Good Practice research highlights that group activities alone are not enough: people with more advanced dementia or sensory impairments often need one-to-one engagement and the kind of meaningful occupation that connects to their personal history. Whether Ferndale Court provides this is not visible in the published findings.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches, including household tasks and reminiscence work tied to personal history, produced significantly better engagement outcomes than standard group activity programmes in dementia care.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator what provision exists for residents who cannot join group sessions, particularly those with advanced dementia or sensory impairments. Ask to see the previous week's actual activity log, not the planned schedule, and check whether any one-to-one sessions are recorded."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Good at the December 2024 inspection. The home has a named registered manager (Mrs Catrina Louise Smith) and a nominated individual in place. The improvement from an Inadequate overall rating to Requires Improvement overall, with four domains now at Good, indicates that leadership has driven meaningful change since the previous inspection. The published summary does not detail the manager's tenure, staff turnover rates, or the governance systems in place.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to the Good Practice research, and the fact that this home has driven improvement from Inadequate to largely Good is a positive sign that someone in charge is taking accountability seriously. Our review data shows that management and communication with families account for 23.4% and 11.5% of positive family reviews respectively. What the published findings cannot tell you is how long the current manager has been in post, whether the improvement culture is embedded in the staff team, or how the home communicates with families day to day. These are questions worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that manager tenure of two years or more is a consistent predictor of sustained quality improvement, and that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear produce fewer safeguarding incidents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at Ferndale Court and what the biggest change they made was after the previous Inadequate inspection. Also ask how the home keeps families informed when their parent's condition changes, and whether there is a regular family meeting or review process."}

  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, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for adults across age groups, including those under 65 who need nursing support.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, Ferndale Court provides specialised nursing care as part of their broader support for residents with complex health needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.