Ferndale Residential Care Home

What families say

What strikes families is how quickly residents settle here. One daughter watched her parent go from feeling unsettled to treating the staff like old friends within just a few weeks. The kindness families describe isn't saved for special occasions — it runs through the everyday moments, from morning routines to afternoon visits.

Based on 6 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 quality65
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-09-08 · Report published 2018-09-08 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated the Safe domain as Good at the assessment carried out in May 2024. No specific detail about staffing ratios, medicines management, falls records, or infection control practice is available from the published findings provided here. The home is a small 17-bed residential setting, which typically means a more contained environment, but small size alone does not guarantee adequate night cover or robust incident review. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the safety arrangements they found.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but our Good Practice evidence base highlights that night staffing is the area where safety most commonly slips in smaller residential homes. With 17 beds and a dementia specialism, you need to know how many staff are present overnight and whether they are permanent employees or agency cover. Agency staff, however capable individually, do not know your parent's routines and behaviours, which matters greatly when someone becomes distressed or disoriented in the early hours. The inspection does not give us the detail to answer these questions, so ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency reliance and low night staffing ratios are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in residential dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not just a template. Count how many shifts were covered by agency staff, and ask specifically how many carers are on duty overnight for the 17 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated the Effective domain as Good at the May 2024 assessment. This domain typically covers staff training, care plan quality, healthcare access, and nutritional support. No specific observations about dementia training content, GP access arrangements, or care plan detail are available from the published findings provided here. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied that these foundations were broadly in place.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For families considering a dementia-specialist home, the Effective domain is where the detail really matters. Good Practice research from 61 studies confirms that care plans should function as living documents, updated regularly and shaped by the person's changing preferences, not just their clinical needs. A generic Good rating tells you the bar was met, but it does not tell you whether the care plan for your parent would reflect how they take their tea, what music they respond to, or how they prefer to spend a quiet afternoon. Food quality is also a meaningful signal: homes where mealtimes are genuinely enjoyed tend to score well in family satisfaction data across all other areas too. Both of these require a visit to assess properly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF Research review found that regular, meaningful care plan review involving families and the person themselves is one of the clearest markers of effective personalised dementia care.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are reviewed and who is involved in that process. Then ask to see, in general terms, how a person's personal history and daily preferences are recorded and whether that information is visible to staff on every shift."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated the Caring domain as Good at the May 2024 assessment. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. No specific inspector observations, resident testimony, or relative feedback are available from the published findings provided here. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied that the care culture they found was broadly positive.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews across more than 5,000 UK care homes, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in whether staff knock before entering a room, whether they use your parent's preferred name, and whether they move with unhurried patience rather than task-driven speed. A Good rating for Caring is encouraging, but it is genuinely impossible to assess warmth from a document alone. This is the domain you need to observe for yourself on a visit, ideally unannounced or at a time you have not pre-arranged.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication, including tone, pace, and physical proximity, is as important as spoken language for people living with dementia, and that person-centred care depends on staff knowing individuals well enough to read these signals accurately.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas when they think no one is paying attention. Do they make eye contact, use names, and stop to engage, or do they move past without acknowledgement?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated the Responsive domain as Good at the May 2024 assessment. This domain typically covers activities, individual engagement, complaints handling, and end-of-life planning. No specific detail about the activity programme, individual engagement for people with advanced dementia, or complaints processes is available from the published findings provided here. The Good rating indicates inspectors were broadly satisfied.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness is one of the more heavily weighted themes in our family review data (27.1% of positive reviews reference it), and activities engagement is also significant at 21.4%. Good Practice evidence is clear that for people living with dementia, group activities are not enough on their own: one-to-one engagement, including involvement in everyday domestic tasks and sensory activities, is essential for people who cannot or will not join a group. In a 17-bed home, there is potential for a more personalised approach than in larger settings, but that depends entirely on staffing levels and the culture the manager has built. The Good rating is promising, but the specifics need to be verified directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University review found that Montessori-based and task-focused individual engagement approaches, rather than formal group activities alone, produce the strongest outcomes for wellbeing and orientation in people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see last month's actual activity records, not just a planned schedule. Then ask specifically: if your parent could not join a group session, what would a member of staff do with them one-to-one on a typical afternoon?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated the Well-led domain as Good at the May 2024 assessment. A named registered manager, Mrs Emma Mary Gilbert, is in post, with Mr Stephen John Clarke recorded as the nominated individual for the provider, Seagry Care Limited. No specific observations about management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or audit practices are available from the published findings provided here. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the leadership arrangements they found.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of consistent care quality over time, according to Good Practice research. A named registered manager in post is a good sign, but what matters as much is whether that person is known to staff and residents by face, whether staff feel able to raise concerns, and whether the home has a clear sense of direction. Communication with families is highlighted in 11.5% of our positive review data as a key factor in satisfaction, and it tends to flow from the top: homes with confident, visible leadership tend to communicate more proactively with families when things change. The Good rating here is encouraging, but the culture is something you can only sense by visiting.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research found that leadership stability and a culture where staff feel safe to speak up are among the clearest predictors of quality trajectory in small residential care settings.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask to meet the registered manager in person. Note whether they are present on the floor rather than office-bound, and ask how they let families know when something changes in their parent's health or wellbeing."}

  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 Ferndale provides residential care for adults over 65, with specialist support for those living with dementia. The home also welcomes younger adults who need residential care.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the team brings the same attentive approach families value throughout the home. Staff work to help each person feel settled and connected, watching for the changes that need extra support. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.