Hollymede Cottage

What families say

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
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership35
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

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

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Safe as Good, which covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and safeguarding concerns. The 14-bed size of the home means a relatively small number of staff are responsible for all residents at any given time, including through the night. No specific detail is provided in the published report about staffing ratios, night cover, falls rates, or how incidents are logged and learned from. The inspection was carried out in March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when infection control standards were under particular scrutiny. Without published specifics, it is not possible to verify what the Good rating was based on.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safe is reassuring as a baseline, but our family review data shows that families care deeply about staff attentiveness u2014 particularly at night u2014 and this is exactly where detail is missing here. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety most often slips in small residential homes, and a 14-bed home with dementia residents needs clear, consistent night cover. You should not assume the 2021 rating reflects today's practice: staff may have changed, the manager may have changed, and occupancy levels may be different. The Requires Improvement in Well-led is relevant here too u2014 good safety governance depends on leadership holding systems accountable, and that link was found to be weak.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance and inconsistent night staffing are among the strongest predictors of safety failures in small dementia care homes u2014 and these are precisely the questions the published report leaves unanswered.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many staff are on duty overnight, are any of those agency staff, and can you see the incident and accident log from the last three months to understand how the home responds when things go wrong?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Effective as Good, covering areas such as care planning, staff training, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home is registered as a specialist dementia service, which means inspectors would have looked at whether staff have appropriate dementia-specific training and whether care plans reflect individual needs. However, the published report provides no detail on what training staff have received, how frequently care plans are reviewed, whether GPs and community health professionals are regularly involved, or what the food offer looks like. The Effective rating was given against a Good backdrop overall, but without specifics it cannot be verified.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, the Effective domain is where some of the most important day-to-day decisions are made u2014 what they eat, whether their GP reviews their medication regularly, and whether the person looking after them at 2pm knows their history, preferences, and what calms them when they are anxious. Our family review data shows that dementia-specific care knowledge is one of the most valued things families look for. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents, reviewed with family involvement, not filed-and-forgotten paperwork. You should ask specifically about dementia training u2014 not just whether staff have done it, but what it covered and when.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base finds that person-centred dementia care u2014 where staff know individual life histories and use that knowledge in daily interactions u2014 is associated with significantly better wellbeing outcomes, and that care plans are a key vehicle for capturing and sharing this knowledge across shift changes.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if needed) and ask when it was last reviewed and whether family members were involved in that review u2014 the answers will tell you more than any rating."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Caring as Good, which covers how staff treat residents, whether dignity and privacy are respected, and whether people are supported to maintain independence. Caring is the domain most directly relevant to how your parent will feel day-to-day, and it carries the highest weight in our family scoring model. Despite the Good rating, the published report contains no resident quotes, no family testimonials, no inspector observations of staff interactions, and no named examples of kind or respectful practice. The rating alone cannot tell you whether staff know your parent's preferred name, whether they are rushed, or whether they respond with patience when someone is distressed.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth and compassion are by far the most important things families mention in our 3,602-review dataset u2014 together they account for over 55% of what drives positive family assessments of a care home. Good Practice research emphasises that for people living with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 a calm tone, unhurried body language, making eye contact u2014 matters as much as words. A Good rating in Caring is a positive signal, but the complete absence of detail in this report means you cannot take it on trust. Your visit is essential: watch how staff speak to your parent during a tour, how they address people they pass in corridors, and whether anyone is left waiting or calling out without a prompt response.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care u2014 where staff respond to the individual in front of them rather than following a task-based routine u2014 is the single strongest indicator of genuine quality in the Caring domain, and it is only visible through direct observation.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch what happens when a resident calls out or becomes unsettled u2014 does a staff member respond promptly, calmly, and by name, or does the person wait? That single moment will tell you more than any inspection rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated Responsive as Good, covering whether activities are meaningful and tailored, whether individual preferences are acted on, and whether the home responds to complaints effectively. For a 14-bed dementia-specialist home, the Responsive domain should address how residents spend their time u2014 including those who cannot join group activities. No activities programme, no examples of tailored engagement, and no information about how the home handles complaints or end-of-life planning are included in the published report. The rating was awarded but cannot be contextualised from the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that resident happiness and activity engagement together account for nearly 50% of what families notice and value. For your parent living with dementia, meaningful activity is not a luxury u2014 Good Practice research shows it is directly linked to reduced anxiety, better sleep, and fewer distressed behaviours. In a small 14-bed home, there is real potential for genuinely individual attention, but that potential depends entirely on staff having the time, training, and creativity to offer it. Ask specifically about one-to-one activity for residents who cannot join groups u2014 this is where many homes fall short, and the published report gives you no basis to assume Hollymede Cottage is an exception.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and household-task approaches u2014 where residents with dementia are supported to do familiar, purposeful activities u2014 are associated with measurably better mood and engagement outcomes compared to passive group entertainment.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: what does a typical Tuesday look like for a resident who cannot join group activities u2014 who would spend time with them, doing what, and for how long? If the answer is vague, that is a concern."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Requires Improvement, making it the only domain below Good and the most significant flag in this inspection. The registered manager is Mrs Julie Louise Herridge-Searle, and the nominated individual is Mr Navneet Singh Johar. The published report provides no detail whatsoever about what specifically was found to be insufficient u2014 whether it related to governance systems, quality monitoring, staff oversight, record-keeping, or organisational culture. A subsequent review in July 2023 found no evidence to reassess the rating, meaning the Requires Improvement judgement was still considered to reflect the position two years after the inspection. The inspection itself is now over three years old.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Well-led is the domain that determines whether everything else holds together over time. Our family review data shows that visible, accountable management is one of the key factors families trust u2014 not just at inspection, but month by month. Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory: homes where managers are present, where staff feel they can raise concerns, and where systems catch problems early tend to sustain quality; homes where leadership is weak tend to drift. A Requires Improvement here u2014 with no published detail and no subsequent reinspection u2014 is the most important unanswered question about Hollymede Cottage. You deserve a specific answer about what went wrong and what has changed.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership culture u2014 particularly whether frontline staff feel empowered to speak up about problems u2014 is one of the strongest predictors of sustained care quality in small residential dementia homes, more so than any single policy or procedure.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: what specifically was identified as Requires Improvement in the 2021 inspection, what actions were taken in response, and when does the home expect its next full inspection? If the manager cannot answer clearly and specifically, treat that as a significant warning sign."}

  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 here cares for adults over 65, with particular experience supporting those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff understand how to help residents with dementia stay engaged through activities that feel natural and enjoyable. The approach seems to focus on what each person can still do and love, rather than what they've lost. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.