Goatacre Manor Care Centre

What families say

Families visiting Goatacre Manor often comment on how staff show genuine care and commitment to residents. Several accounts mention that new residents have settled in well, finding their place within the community.

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity65
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership70
• Resident happiness60

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-04-26 · Report published 2018-04-26 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Requires Improvement at the inspection in February 2022. The full published text does not set out the specific findings that led to this rating. Goatacre Manor Care Centre is a 48-bed nursing home, and the combination of nursing care and dementia specialism means that safe practice in areas such as medicines management, staffing levels, and falls prevention is especially important. Without detailed findings, it is not possible to say precisely where the concerns lay.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating for Safe is the single most important thing to investigate before you make a decision about this home for your mum or dad. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing levels and agency staff reliance are the areas where safety most often slips in care homes, and these are exactly the questions to raise directly. Our family review data shows that families who later report concerns about safety most often say they wished they had asked more specific questions on their first visit. Do not accept a general reassurance that things have improved: ask for the specific evidence.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and reliance on agency staff are the two factors most strongly associated with safety incidents in care homes. A Requires Improvement rating in Safe warrants direct questions about both.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the staffing rota for a recent week, including nights. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency staff, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for 48 residents. Then ask what specific changes were made after the February 2022 inspection."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. Goatacre Manor Care Centre offers nursing care alongside personal care, which means clinical effectiveness, care planning, and health monitoring are all within scope. The home lists dementia and physical disabilities as specialisms, so effective care here includes dementia-specific approaches and management of physical health needs. The published inspection text does not provide detailed findings to substantiate the Good rating beyond the rating itself.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effective is reassuring, but the limited published detail means you cannot rely on it alone. The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed at least monthly for people with dementia, and families should be actively involved in those reviews. Food quality is also a key marker of effective care: 20.9% of the positive reviews in our family review data mention food as a specific reason families feel good about a home. Ask to see your parent's care plan and check whether it reflects their individual history, preferences, and health needs, not just their diagnosis.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that personalised care plans, reviewed regularly with family involvement, are one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes for people living with dementia in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask to see an example care plan (anonymised if necessary) and check whether it includes the person's life history, preferred name, food preferences, and daily routines. Ask how often care plans are formally reviewed and whether families are invited to take part."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. This covers how staff treat the people who live at Goatacre Manor Care Centre, including warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. The published text does not include direct observations or quotes from residents or relatives to illustrate what this looks like in practice. The Good rating is nonetheless a positive signal in what our review data consistently identifies as the most important area for families.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned positively in 57.3% of reviews, and compassion and dignity are the second most important theme at 55.2%. A Good rating here matters a great deal. However, the absence of specific observations or quotes in the published findings means you should look for evidence yourself on a visit. Watch how staff speak to residents in corridors and communal areas, whether they use preferred names, and whether interactions feel unhurried. These small moments are what a Good Caring rating should look like in practice.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication, using touch, tone of voice, and unhurried presence, is as important as verbal interaction for people living with dementia. A genuinely caring environment is observable in everyday moments, not just formal care routines.","watch_out":"Arrive for your visit slightly early and spend a few minutes in a communal area before your formal tour. Watch whether staff address residents by name, make eye contact, and move without rushing. Ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name would be used, not assumed."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. Responsive care covers whether the home tailors its support to individual needs, whether activities are varied and meaningful, and whether people's preferences and independence are genuinely respected. The home lists dementia as a specialism, so responsiveness to changing needs and communication is particularly relevant. The published inspection text does not detail specific activities, complaint handling, or individual engagement approaches.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness is mentioned in 27.1% of positive reviews. A Good rating for Responsive is encouraging, but the lack of published detail means you need to look at this carefully on a visit. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with advanced dementia: one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks like folding, sorting, or simple gardening, is what makes a real difference to quality of life. Ask who runs activities, how often they happen, and what happens for your parent on a day when a group activity is not suitable.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activities, including familiar household tasks, are significantly more effective for people with dementia than scheduled group programmes alone.","watch_out":"Ask the home to show you the activity timetable for the past two weeks, not just the planned schedule. Ask specifically what happens for residents who cannot join group sessions, and whether there is a dedicated activities coordinator or whether care staff are expected to cover this alongside other duties."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the February 2022 inspection. The home has a named registered manager, Mrs Stephanie Jane Gould, and a nominated individual, Mr Francis Edward Ursell, both recorded with the regulator. Good leadership at this level is associated with stable culture, staff who feel able to raise concerns, and consistent governance. The published inspection text does not provide detail about how long the current manager has been in post, staff satisfaction, or how the home handles complaints and learning.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to the Good Practice evidence base. Our family review data shows that 23.4% of positive reviews specifically mention management or leadership as a reason families feel confident. The Requires Improvement rating in Safe, alongside a Good rating in Well-led, raises a question worth exploring: if leadership is Good, what specifically did the Safe findings identify, and how quickly did management respond? A good leader will be able to answer this question clearly and without defensiveness.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that leadership stability, particularly manager tenure of more than two years, is one of the most consistent predictors of care quality trajectory in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long she has been in post, what the Safe rating identified as needing improvement, and what specific actions were taken and when. A confident and transparent answer is itself a positive signal about leadership culture."}

  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 cares for adults over 65, with particular experience supporting those with dementia and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on For families seeking dementia care, Goatacre Manor has experience in this area. Given the specific needs of dementia residents, it's worth asking about their approach to preventing falls and ensuring adequate supervision. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.