Park Avenue Care Home

What families say

Families describe walking into a friendly, inclusive atmosphere where they're encouraged to join in activities and stay connected. The environment feels fresh and well-kept, with comfortable rooms and no institutional feel. People particularly notice how patient and emotionally present the staff are, especially during difficult moments.

Based on 16 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 & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-12-12 · Report published 2019-12-12 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. The home had previously received a Requires Improvement rating, so this represents confirmed progress. The inspection text does not describe specific findings on staffing levels, medicines management, falls prevention, or infection control. A registered manager is in post, which is a basic safety governance requirement.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for safety is reassuring, but the inspection text gives very little detail about what specifically changed since the previous Requires Improvement rating. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes. With 51 residents, including people living with dementia, you should ask specifically how many staff are on duty overnight and whether any of them are registered nurses. Agency staff use is another signal worth checking: homes that rely heavily on agency cover struggle to maintain consistent, familiar relationships with residents, which matters especially for people with dementia who are sensitive to unfamiliar faces.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 2026) identifies night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance as two of the most reliable predictors of safety risk in care homes with a dementia specialism.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency staff covered night shifts, and confirm whether a registered nurse was on site overnight every night."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. The home is registered for both nursing care and dementia care, which means it is required to demonstrate appropriate clinical skills and care planning. The inspection text does not describe specific findings on care plans, GP access, dementia training, or food and nutrition.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia nursing home covers a wide range of things your parent depends on every day: whether care plans capture who they are as a person, whether a GP visits regularly, whether staff have genuine dementia training rather than a one-day online course, and whether food is appetising and appropriate for their needs. Our family review data shows that food quality features in 20.9% of positive reviews, often as a proxy for how much the home genuinely cares. The inspection did not record specific detail on any of these areas, so you will need to ask directly. Good Practice research emphasises that care plans should be treated as living documents updated with the family, not administrative paperwork completed at admission.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice rapid evidence review (61 studies, 2026) found that care plans functioning as living documents, regularly updated with family input, are strongly associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask how often care plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to take part in those reviews. Then ask to see the dementia training records for at least one member of the care team, so you can judge whether training goes beyond basic awareness."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. This is the domain most directly connected to day-to-day kindness, dignity, and respect. The inspection text does not include any direct observations of staff interactions, use of preferred names, response to distress, or comments from residents or families about how they feel treated.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow at 55.2%. A Good rating in Caring is positive, but without specific observations or testimony in the published text, it is hard to know what inspectors actually saw. The things that matter most, whether staff use your parent's preferred name, whether they move at your parent's pace rather than their own, whether they respond gently when your parent is confused or distressed, can only be assessed by watching directly. Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people living with dementia.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies non-verbal communication, unhurried pace, and use of preferred names as the most observable indicators of genuine person-centred care for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Arrive for your visit without announcing yourself in advance if possible. Spend time in a communal area and observe: do staff make eye contact with residents, use their names, and sit at their level when speaking? These small behaviours are more reliable signals than anything written in a policy document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. Responsiveness covers activities, individual engagement, and end-of-life planning. The inspection text does not describe specific activities, one-to-one engagement for people who cannot join groups, or how the home responds to individual preferences and complaints.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that activities and engagement feature in 21.4% of positive reviews, and resident happiness in 27.1%. For people living with dementia, meaningful activity is not a luxury; it reduces distress, maintains skills, and supports identity. Good Practice evidence highlights that group activities alone are insufficient for people in the later stages of dementia, who need one-to-one engagement and the opportunity to take part in familiar everyday tasks. The inspection did not record specific detail here, so you should ask to see the actual activity records for the past month and ask what provision exists for residents who are unable to attend group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that individually tailored activities, including household tasks and familiar routines, are more effective at reducing distress and supporting wellbeing for people with advanced dementia than structured group programmes alone.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records for the past four weeks, not the planned schedule. Check whether any individual one-to-one sessions are recorded for residents who are bed-bound or who tend to stay in their rooms, and ask who is responsible for delivering those sessions."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2021 inspection. A registered manager, Mrs Charlotte Claire Goodfellow-Fernandez, is named in post, with Mrs Sam Manning as nominated individual. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating suggests that leadership has been effective in driving change. The inspection text does not describe management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints and feedback.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. A named registered manager in post is the minimum requirement, but what matters for your parent is whether that manager is visible on the floor, whether staff feel able to raise concerns, and whether the home has a culture of learning rather than covering up mistakes. The move from Requires Improvement to Good is a meaningful signal that leadership responded to challenge. Communication with families is mentioned positively in 11.5% of our family reviews, and it is worth asking directly how the home keeps you informed, especially if your parent's condition changes.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability and a bottom-up culture, where frontline staff feel empowered to raise concerns, are the strongest institutional predictors of sustained care quality in dementia settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post and what the main changes were that led to the improvement from the previous rating. Then ask a care worker the same question separately. Consistency between those two answers tells you a great deal about the culture of the home."}

  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 provides specialized dementia care alongside general support for adults over 65. They offer resources to help families understand dementia better.. Gaps or open questions remain on The team understands the unique challenges dementia brings, offering both practical care and emotional support. Management provides helpful information and guidance to families navigating dementia for the first time. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.