Five Gables Residential Home

What families say

Based on 5 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness50

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-10-02 · Report published 2019-10-02 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for Safety at Five Gables Care Home, covering a 16-bed residential home for older adults, people living with dementia, people with physical disabilities, and those with sensory impairments. The published text does not include specific observations about staffing levels, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control practice. A Good safety rating indicates inspectors found no significant concerns in these areas, but the detail behind that judgement is not available in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but for a small home of 16 beds, the specific detail matters a great deal. Our Good Practice evidence review found that safety most commonly slips on night shifts, when staffing is thinnest and oversight is lightest. For a home of this size, you would reasonably expect at least two staff on duty overnight, one of whom is a senior. The inspection does not confirm or deny this, so it is a direct question to put to the manager before you decide. Agency staff reliance is a separate concern: consistent faces matter enormously for people living with dementia, and high agency use can undermine the sense of familiarity that keeps your parent settled.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (2026) found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of poorer safety outcomes in dementia care, because people living with dementia respond better to familiar faces and are less able to communicate distress to strangers.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a planned template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency, particularly on nights and weekends."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Five Gables Care Home received a Good rating for Effectiveness at the April 2025 inspection. This domain covers training, care plans, healthcare access, and food quality. No specific detail is available in the published inspection text about the content of care plans, how often they are reviewed, what dementia training staff have completed, or how the home manages GP access and medicines. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied across these areas, but the evidence base behind the rating is not visible in the summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness is about whether the people caring for your parent actually know what they are doing and adapt as your parent's needs change. Our Good Practice evidence review found that care plans which are updated regularly and genuinely reflect the individual, including personal history, preferences, and communication style, are strongly associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia. The inspection confirmed Good here, but you cannot check from the outside whether your parent's care plan would capture the things that matter to them personally. Ask to see how the home records this kind of background information and how it is shared with all staff, including those on night shifts and those who cover weekends.","evidence_base":"The 2026 rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training, particularly around non-verbal communication and behavioural responses to unmet need, is a strong predictor of whether staff can support people living with dementia effectively without resorting to unnecessary restrictions or medication.","watch_out":"Ask what dementia training all care staff complete, including bank and agency workers, and ask when the last training session was delivered. Then ask how key personal preferences from your parent's care plan are passed on at each shift handover."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Five Gables Care Home was rated Good for Caring at the April 2025 inspection. This domain covers warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. No specific inspector observations, resident testimony, or relative feedback is included in the published inspection summary. A Good Caring rating indicates that inspectors found acceptable practice in these areas, but without specific quotes or observations it is not possible to describe what that looked like in practice.","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 closely at 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in specific, observable moments. Does a staff member knock before entering your parent's room? Do they use the name your parent prefers, not just the name on the file? Do they move at your parent's pace rather than their own? The inspection awarded Good here, but none of these specifics are recorded in what has been published. You will only find the answers by visiting, ideally more than once, at different times of day.","evidence_base":"The 2026 Good Practice evidence review found that non-verbal communication, including tone of voice, pace of movement, and physical proximity, is as important as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia, and that staff who are trained in this approach produce measurably lower rates of agitation.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch how staff greet your parent or any resident they pass in a corridor. Do they make eye contact, use a name, and slow down? Or do they walk past without acknowledgement? This is one of the most reliable signals of genuine caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Five Gables Care Home received a Good rating for Responsiveness at the April 2025 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, and end-of-life care. The published text does not include detail about the activity programme, one-to-one engagement for people who cannot join groups, or how end-of-life wishes are recorded and respected. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the specific evidence is not available in the summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement matter more than many families expect, particularly for people living with dementia. Our review data shows that resident happiness, which is closely linked to meaningful daily engagement, is mentioned in 27.1% of positive family reviews. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that group activities alone are not enough: people with more advanced dementia need one-to-one engagement, often built around everyday familiar tasks such as folding, sorting, or simple domestic routines, to feel purposeful and settled. The inspection does not tell us whether Five Gables does this. For a 16-bed home, you might reasonably expect a dedicated activities coordinator or at least a clear lead role, and an activity schedule that is actually followed rather than just planned.","evidence_base":"The 2026 rapid evidence review found strong evidence for Montessori-based and task-focused individual engagement approaches in reducing agitation and increasing wellbeing for people with moderate to advanced dementia, particularly in smaller residential settings.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records for the past two weeks, not the planned schedule. Then ask specifically: if your parent cannot join a group activity, what would a member of staff do with them on a quiet Tuesday afternoon?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"Five Gables Care Home was rated Good for Well-led at the April 2025 inspection. Two registered managers are named in the record, Ms Alison Pearce and Miss Emma Louise Vince, and Ms Pearce is also listed as the nominated individual. The published summary does not describe how the management team operates day to day, how staff are supported to raise concerns, or how the home uses feedback from residents and families to improve. A Good rating indicates inspectors found acceptable governance and culture.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in a care home: our Good Practice evidence review is consistent on this point. Knowing that there are two named managers at Five Gables is a positive signal, but what matters more in practice is whether they are visible on the floor, known to residents by name, and genuinely accessible to families. Our review data shows that communication with families is mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews, often as a marker of trust rather than just information-sharing. Before deciding, ask how long both managers have been in post, how they prefer families to contact them with concerns, and whether there is a regular forum, such as a residents or relatives meeting, where feedback is actively sought.","evidence_base":"The 2026 rapid evidence review found that management stability, specifically a consistent registered manager in post for more than 12 months, is a stronger predictor of quality trajectory than the rating itself, because it reflects the leadership continuity that underpins staff retention and care consistency.","watch_out":"Ask both registered managers how long they have each been in their current roles, and ask to see an example of a change the home made in the past six months as a direct result of feedback from a resident, a family member, or a member of staff."}

  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 team supports residents with various needs including physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They're experienced in caring for people over 65 who need different levels of assistance with daily living.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialised support tailored to individual needs. The team understands how to create a reassuring environment that helps people feel secure and valued. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.