Kendal Care Home

What families say

Visitors describe a warm atmosphere when they arrive, with residents and staff clearly enjoying each other's company. There's a sense of celebration on visit days, with people greeting families like they're genuinely pleased to see them.

Based on 14 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 & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-08-05 · Report published 2021-08-05 · Inspected 9 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, falls management, medicines administration, or infection control practices. No concerns about safety were flagged. The improvement from a lower rating implies that earlier safety-related shortfalls were identified and resolved.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safe is encouraging, particularly given this home previously fell short in this area. However, the inspection was carried out in January 2022, and a lot can change in a large 120-bed home over time. Research from the Good Practice evidence base consistently shows that safety is most vulnerable on night shifts and during periods when agency staff cover regular roles. With no published detail on night staffing numbers or agency use at Kendal Care Home, these are the questions you need to ask directly before your parent moves in.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) identifies night staffing as the point at which safety most commonly deteriorates in care homes, and notes that high agency reliance undermines the consistency of care that keeps people safe.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many permanent care staff are on the dementia unit between 10pm and 6am, and on how many shifts in the last month was an agency worker used to fill that rota?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering training, care planning, nutrition, and healthcare access. The published findings do not include specific detail about dementia training content, how frequently care plans are reviewed, or what GP access looks like in practice. The rating implies these areas met the required standard at inspection. Given the home's dementia specialism, the adequacy of dementia-specific training is particularly relevant.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia care setting is largely invisible to visitors: it shows up in whether your parent's care plan reflects who they actually are, not just their diagnosis, and whether staff know how to communicate with someone who has lost reliable speech. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights that care plans should be living documents, updated as the person's needs change, and reviewed with family input. The inspection does not tell us how Kendal Care Home approaches this, so asking to read a sample care plan structure (with personal details removed) on your visit is a practical way to judge the quality of thinking behind it.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) finds that dementia-specific training, including non-verbal communication and person-centred approaches, significantly improves outcomes, and that care plans reviewed less than every three months are less likely to reflect the person's current needs.","watch_out":"Ask to see how a care plan is structured for a resident with dementia: does it include the person's life history, preferred name, daily routines, and communication preferences, or is it primarily a list of clinical needs?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. The published report does not include direct inspector observations of staff interactions, resident testimony about how staff treat them, or specific examples of dignity being upheld. The Good rating indicates these standards were met, but no detail is available to support or contextualise it.","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 account for a further 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they are observable on a visit. Do staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted? Do they knock before entering a room? Do they sit at eye level when speaking to someone who is seated? These are the small, consistent behaviours that signal genuine care rather than compliance. The inspection tells us Kendal Care Home met the standard, but you should test it yourself.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) highlights that non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and touch, matters as much as spoken interaction for people living with dementia, and that person-centred care requires staff to know the individual's history, not just their care needs.","watch_out":"When you visit, notice whether staff address your parent by their preferred name without being told it, and whether they slow their pace to match the resident rather than moving through tasks efficiently. These two behaviours are the clearest observable signs of a genuinely caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and responsiveness to changing needs. The published findings do not describe specific activities offered, whether activity programmes are tailored to individuals or primarily group-based, or how the home supports residents with advanced dementia who cannot participate in group settings. End-of-life care arrangements are also not described in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness accounts for a further 27.1%. What families consistently describe valuing is not a busy activity calendar, but signs that their parent is genuinely settled and engaged in the life of the home. Our Good Practice evidence base is clear that tailored, individual activities, including everyday household tasks such as folding, gardening, or simple cooking, are more effective for people with dementia than group sessions alone. With 120 beds and a range of conditions, it is worth asking specifically how the home supports your parent if they reach a point where group activities are no longer suitable.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) finds that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches, including familiar domestic tasks, significantly reduce distress in people with dementia, and that group-only activity programmes are insufficient for residents with higher support needs.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: if my parent reaches a point where they cannot join a group session, what does a typical day look like for them, and how is that documented in their care plan?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. The home is run by Abbey Healthcare (Westmoreland) Limited, with a named registered manager and a named nominated individual recorded at inspection. The improvement across all five domains from the previous cycle suggests active and effective leadership engagement. No specific detail about management visibility, staff culture, or governance mechanisms is included in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of ongoing care quality, according to our Good Practice evidence base. A manager who has been in post for more than two years, who is known by name to residents and staff, and who can walk you through recent quality improvement work without referring to a folder, is a reassuring sign. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is genuinely positive and suggests someone is paying attention. However, the inspection was carried out in January 2022, and management circumstances can change. Ask directly how long the current manager has been in post and whether there have been significant staffing changes in the last 12 months.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) identifies leadership stability as a key predictor of quality trajectory, and notes that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear of consequences consistently perform better over time.","watch_out":"Ask the registered manager how long they have been in post, what the biggest change they have made since joining is, and how staff can raise a concern if they are worried about a resident's care."}

  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 and younger adults with specific needs, including dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the stable staff team helps create familiarity and routine. The home's experience with mental health conditions alongside dementia care suggests they understand the complexities many families face. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.