Kingsfield Residential Home

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 warmth65
• Compassion & dignity65
• Cleanliness45
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness60

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-12-08 · Report published 2021-12-08 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"Safety was the only domain rated Requires Improvement at the November 2021 inspection u2014 the single below-standard finding in an otherwise Good-rated home. The published summary does not specify what drove this rating, meaning families cannot tell from publicly available information whether concerns related to medicines management, staffing levels, falls, or infection control. A July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence requiring reassessment, but this was a desk-based review, not a fresh inspection. The home cares for people with dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities u2014 a combination that typically places high demands on safe staffing. The full inspection report would contain the specific findings and the required improvement actions.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement in Safety is the detail that will u2014 and should u2014 give you pause. It means inspectors found something that fell below the standard your mum or dad deserves, even if the rest of the home was rated Good. Our family review data shows that 14% of positive reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as a reason for confidence u2014 and attentiveness is exactly what suffers when staffing is stretched or systems are not robust. Good Practice research is clear that safety failures in care homes most often occur at night or during handovers, and in homes where agency staff substitute for a consistent permanent team. The monitoring review in 2023 provides some reassurance that no new serious concerns have been flagged, but it is not a substitute for a fresh inspection with eyes in the building.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) finds that night staffing ratios are where safety most commonly deteriorates in residential dementia care, and that reliance on agency staff is consistently associated with reduced care consistency and increased risk of missed observations.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'What specifically was identified as Requires Improvement in the 2021 Safety rating, what actions did you take, and how many permanent u2014 not agency u2014 staff are on duty on the dementia unit after 8pm on a typical weeknight?'"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the November 2021 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the skills and knowledge to care well, whether care plans are person-centred and up to date, whether healthcare professionals are involved appropriately, and whether nutrition and hydration needs are met. The published summary does not provide specific examples of what inspectors observed, which quotes they recorded, or which aspects of effectiveness were strongest or weakest. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which typically requires inspectors to examine staff training in dementia care as part of the Effective assessment. No detail about training content, care plan review frequency, or GP access frequency is available from the published summary alone.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good in Effective tells you inspectors were broadly satisfied that staff knew what they were doing and that care was planned appropriately u2014 which matters enormously when your parent has dementia or a complex condition. Our family review data shows that 12.7% of positive reviews specifically mention dementia-specific care as a reason families feel confident, and 20.2% mention healthcare access. Good Practice evidence emphasises that care plans should be living documents reviewed at least monthly for people with dementia, and that they should include the person's life history, communication preferences, and triggers for distress u2014 not just a list of medical needs. You cannot verify from the published summary whether Kingsfield's care plans meet that standard, so a direct conversation with the manager and a request to see a sample care plan structure is worth pursuing.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) identifies care plans as living documents u2014 regularly updated, family-informed, and containing communication and behavioural detail u2014 as one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes for people with dementia in residential care.","watch_out":"Ask to see how a care plan is structured: does it include your parent's preferred name, what makes them anxious, what brings them comfort, and when it was last reviewed u2014 not just their medical diagnoses and medication list?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the November 2021 inspection. This domain assesses whether staff treat people with kindness, respect their dignity, support their independence, and respond to them as individuals. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the standard of interactions they observed and the accounts they gathered from residents and relatives. However, the published summary contains no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no specific observations of staff interactions, and no named examples of caring practice. For a 27-bed home with residents living with dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities, specific evidence of how staff communicate with people who may not be able to express themselves verbally would be particularly valuable.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The Good Caring rating is the finding that will matter most to you emotionally u2014 it is the inspectors' assessment of whether your mum or dad would be treated with genuine warmth and respect. Our family review data is unambiguous on this: staff warmth (57.3%) and compassion and dignity (55.2%) are by far the two most important themes in what families praise when they are happy with a care home. Good Practice research highlights that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, unhurried pace, physical proximity u2014 matters as much as words. The absence of specific quotes or observations in the published summary means you are essentially taking the rating on trust without being able to see the evidence behind it. A visit where you watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas u2014 not just in a formal meeting with the manager u2014 will tell you far more.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett review (2026) finds that person-led care requires staff to know the individual's history, preferences, and non-verbal cues u2014 and that homes where staff can name these details for each resident consistently achieve better wellbeing outcomes than those relying on task-based care routines.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch what happens when a member of staff passes your parent's potential room or a resident in a corridor u2014 do they stop, make eye contact, use the person's name? That unhurried, named acknowledgement is one of the clearest real-world signals of a genuinely caring culture."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the November 2021 inspection. This domain examines whether the home responds to people as individuals u2014 through meaningful activities, attention to personal preferences, and appropriate end-of-life planning. For a home with dementia as a specialism, the Responsive rating is particularly important because it covers whether people who can no longer advocate for themselves are still treated as individuals with histories, preferences, and ongoing lives. The published summary does not include specific detail about the activities programme, whether one-to-one engagement is offered for residents unable to join groups, or how end-of-life planning is approached.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that resident happiness (27.1%) and activities engagement (21.4%) are among the themes families most frequently mention when they are confident in a home. A Good Responsive rating suggests inspectors were satisfied at the time u2014 but the detail matters enormously. Good Practice evidence is clear that group activities are not enough for people with advanced dementia: one-to-one engagement, familiar household tasks, and life-history-based activities are what actually sustain wellbeing and reduce distress. You need to understand not just what the activity timetable looks like, but what happens for your parent on a day when they cannot or choose not to join a group. Ask specifically about this.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) finds strong evidence that Montessori-based and life-history approaches to activity u2014 including familiar household tasks and personalised one-to-one engagement u2014 significantly reduce agitation and improve quality of life for people with moderate to advanced dementia, compared with group-only activity models.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: 'What would you do for my parent on a day when they didn't want to join a group activity or couldn't engage with it u2014 what does one-to-one time look like here, and who provides it?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the November 2021 inspection, and a monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring reassessment of any domain. The home has a named Registered Manager (Mrs Sarah Jane Williams) and a Nominated Individual (Mrs Kim Lara Rogerson) in post. A Good Well-led rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with governance structures, the culture of the home, and leadership accountability at the time. The published summary contains no specific examples of how leadership functions in practice u2014 no staff testimony, no examples of incidents learned from, and no detail about how the manager engages with residents and families.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Stable, visible leadership is one of the strongest predictors of consistent care quality over time u2014 our family review data shows that 23.4% of positive reviews specifically mention management as a reason for confidence. The fact that named leadership is in place and a monitoring review in 2023 found no new concerns is reassuring. However, Good Practice research is clear that leadership quality is best assessed not by documentation but by culture: do staff feel able to raise concerns? Does the manager know residents by name? Is there evidence that incidents u2014 however minor u2014 are logged, reviewed, and acted upon? The inspection is now over three years old, and staff turnover, occupancy changes, and leadership shifts can all alter a home's culture significantly in that time.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) identifies leadership stability and a culture where staff can speak up without fear as the two most reliable predictors of sustained care quality in residential dementia settings u2014 more predictive than any single domain rating.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: 'How long have you been in this role, what has changed in the staff team in the last 12 months, and what was the last thing a member of staff raised with you as a concern u2014 and what did you do about it?'"}

  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 at Kingsfield works with residents who have dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. They support adults across different age groups, including those under 65 who need residential care.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, Kingsfield provides specialist support tailored to each person's needs. The home accepts residents at different stages of their dementia journey. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.