Montague Road Care Home – Sanctuary Supported Living

What families say

Based on 2 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement85
• Food quality55
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership85
• Resident happiness75

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-07-24 · Report published 2019-07-24 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This means inspectors found the home was meeting expectations on safeguarding, risk management, medicines handling, staffing levels, and infection control. No serious concerns were identified. The published summary does not include specific narrative detail on staffing ratios, falls management, or infection control procedures. The home specialises in dementia and mental health, which makes safe environment design and appropriate staffing particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is reassuring u2014 it tells you that when inspectors visited, they did not find your parent at risk of harm from poor staffing, unsafe medicines management, or inadequate safeguarding. However, Good is not Outstanding, and our family review data shows that safe environment and staff attentiveness are among the concerns families raise most when things go wrong after admission. The Good Practice evidence base flags night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in smaller homes u2014 with 24 beds and dementia specialisms, knowing how many trained staff are present after 8pm matters enormously. The five-year gap since inspection means you should not rely on this rating alone to answer the question of whether your parent is safe here today.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance and night-time staffing reductions are the most consistent predictors of safety incidents in care homes supporting people with dementia u2014 continuity of known staff significantly reduces falls, distress events, and medication errors.","watch_out":"Ask the home: 'How many trained staff u2014 registered nurses or senior carers u2014 are on duty overnight, and how often are those shifts covered by agency staff rather than permanent employees?' Then ask to see the falls log for the last three months."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This covers training and competency, care planning, nutrition and hydration, healthcare access, and how well the home works with external professionals such as GPs and community nurses. No concerns were identified. As a home specialising in dementia and mental health, inspectors will have assessed staff training in these specific areas, though the published summary does not detail specific training programmes, GP visit frequency, or care plan review processes.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you the home was doing the basics well when inspectors visited u2014 staff were trained, care plans existed, healthcare was accessible. Our family review data highlights dementia-specific care knowledge as one of the key differentiators families notice once their parent is living in a home. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans should function as living documents, updated after every significant change in your parent's health or behaviour u2014 not just reviewed annually. Food quality is another area where the gap between compliance and genuine care is most visible; ask to see a week's menu and, if possible, stay for a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that dementia training which goes beyond basic awareness u2014 covering communication techniques, behavioural understanding, and person-centred approaches u2014 is significantly associated with reduced use of antipsychotic medication and lower levels of observed distress in residents.","watch_out":"Ask: 'What specific dementia training have care staff completed in the last 12 months, and can you show me an example of how a care plan changes when a resident's needs or preferences shift?' If care plans look identical to how they were written on admission, that is a warning sign."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth and kindness, dignity and respect, privacy, and whether residents are supported to maintain independence. A Good rating indicates inspectors found positive evidence across these areas. The published summary does not include direct quotes from residents or family members, nor specific observations of staff interactions. The home's dementia specialism means that non-verbal communication and recognition of individual wellbeing cues are particularly important components of caring practice.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single highest-weighted theme in our family review data u2014 57.3% of the positive reviews we analysed across UK care homes specifically mention friendly, welcoming staff as the reason families feel confident. A Good Caring rating is a positive signal, but it is the one domain where a visit tells you more than any inspection report can. The Good Practice evidence base is emphatic that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, physical proximity, eye contact u2014 matters as much as words. Watch how staff speak to residents in corridors, not just in formal settings. Does your parent get called by the name they prefer? Are staff kneeling to make eye contact, or talking over them?","evidence_base":"The Good Practice rapid evidence review found that person-centred caring approaches u2014 including knowing and using a resident's life history, preferred name, and individual communication style u2014 are associated with significantly lower levels of agitation and better wellbeing outcomes in people with dementia.","watch_out":"When you visit, observe an unplanned moment u2014 a corridor passing, a staff member helping someone to a chair u2014 and notice whether the interaction is unhurried, whether the resident is spoken to by their preferred name, and whether the staff member makes eye contact at the resident's level rather than from standing height."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Outstanding at the July 2019 inspection u2014 the home's joint highest rating alongside Well-led. This domain covers how well the home tailors care and activities to individual needs, responds to changing preferences, supports people at end of life, and handles complaints. An Outstanding rating here means inspectors found exceptional, specific evidence u2014 not just compliance. For a 24-bed home specialising in dementia, this is a particularly meaningful finding, as responsiveness in dementia care requires considerable staff skill, time, and organisational commitment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding Responsive rating is rare u2014 it is awarded to a small minority of homes and carries real weight. Our family review data shows that resident happiness and meaningful activity are among the strongest predictors of families feeling their parent is thriving rather than just being maintained. The Good Practice evidence base supports small, individualised activities u2014 everyday household tasks, familiar routines, one-to-one engagement u2014 as more beneficial for people with dementia than large group programmes alone. What inspectors observed in 2019 may or may not still be running in 2024; ask to see the current activity schedule and, critically, what happens for residents who cannot participate in group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and occupation-focused approaches u2014 where activities draw on a person's prior skills, roles, and routines rather than generic programming u2014 show the strongest evidence for improving wellbeing, reducing distress, and supporting a sense of identity in people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: 'What would my parent do on a Tuesday afternoon if they didn't want to join the group session?' If the answer is vague or defaults to 'watching TV in their room,' that is worth probing further u2014 Outstanding responsive care should have a specific, individual answer ready."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Outstanding at the July 2019 inspection u2014 the home's highest rating, shared with Responsive. This domain covers the quality of leadership and management, the culture of the home, governance and quality assurance systems, how complaints and incidents are handled, and whether staff feel supported and empowered to speak up. An Outstanding rating requires inspectors to find not just compliant systems but evidence of a genuinely open, learning culture with strong visible leadership. The nominated individual is named as Mr David Shaw and the home is operated by Sanctuary Home Care Limited.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that management visibility and responsiveness to families account for a significant share of what makes families feel confident in a home. An Outstanding Well-led rating suggests that when this home was inspected, it had the kind of leadership that drives quality upward rather than simply maintaining it. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality u2014 homes where managers stay and are empowered tend to outperform those with high leadership turnover. The critical question for you is whether the same leadership that earned this rating in 2019 is still in place today. Manager turnover since inspection would be the most important single piece of information to establish before making a decision.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice rapid evidence review found that homes with stable, visible leadership u2014 where managers know residents by name and staff feel able to raise concerns without fear u2014 consistently outperform sector averages on resident wellbeing and family satisfaction measures, and are more likely to sustain high ratings over time.","watch_out":"Ask directly: 'How long has the current registered manager been in post, and has there been any change in senior leadership since 2019?' Also ask: 'If I have a concern about my parent's care, what is the process for raising it, and can you give me an example of something you changed because a family raised an issue?'"}

  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 dementia alongside those experiencing mental health conditions. They're equipped to care for adults across different age groups, including specialist provision for people under 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the home provides specialist care tailored to individual needs. The team understands the unique challenges dementia brings and works to maintain each person's comfort and dignity. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.