Primrose Croft

What families say

Visitors often comment on seeing residents taking part in activities like games, music sessions and seasonal crafts. Some have noticed residents appearing relaxed during their visits, with staff showing patience when providing support.

Based on 51 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
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-11-14 · Report published 2019-11-14 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This implies staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and risk processes met the required standard at that time. No specific observations, staffing numbers, or incident data are recorded in the published findings. The inspection is now over four years old, so the current picture is not confirmed by recent published evidence. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no reason to reassess, but this is based on information reviewed remotely rather than an on-site inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is a necessary baseline, but it does not tell you how many staff are on duty when your parent needs help at 3am, or whether the home relies heavily on agency workers who do not know your parent's routines. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip, and agency reliance as a factor that undermines the consistency of care. The absence of specific detail in this report means you cannot judge these questions from the published findings alone. You will need to ask directly and observe for yourself on a visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) identifies night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance as two of the strongest predictors of safety failures in care homes. A Good daytime rating does not automatically confirm adequate overnight provision.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from the last two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency, and ask specifically how many carers are on duty overnight for the 38 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This covers care planning, dementia training, healthcare access, and food provision. No specific detail about training content, care plan review processes, GP access arrangements, or menu quality is recorded in the published findings. The home is registered as a dementia specialist, which implies some structured approach to dementia care, but no training records or care plan examples are described. The inspection is over four years old.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home specialising in dementia care, how staff are trained matters more than almost any other factor. The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed regularly with family input, and dementia training as something that needs to go beyond basic certification to cover non-verbal communication and behaviour as a form of expression. A Good Effective rating tells you these areas were not a concern in 2021, but you should ask to see what training staff have completed recently, and whether you would be invited to review your parent's care plan.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that dementia training quality varies widely even in homes rated Good. Training that covers communication, behaviour as expression, and personalised approaches produces measurably better outcomes than generic mandatory training alone.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what specific dementia training staff have completed in the last 12 months, and ask to see an example of how a care plan is updated when a resident's needs change. Check whether families are routinely invited to contribute to care plan reviews."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, privacy, and support for independence. No direct inspector observations of staff interactions, no resident quotes, and no relative feedback are included in the published findings. The Good rating indicates no concerns were identified, but the absence of specific evidence makes it impossible to judge the quality of day-to-day interactions from this report alone. Staff warmth is the single strongest driver of family satisfaction in DCC review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is consistently the thing families mention most when they feel a home is genuinely good, cited in 57.3% of the 3,602 positive reviews analysed for DCC's Family View data. Compassion and dignity account for a further 55.2%. These are qualities you cannot assess from a rating alone. When you visit, watch how staff greet your parent at the door, whether they use a preferred name without being reminded, and whether conversations happen at eye level rather than across the room. Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication matters as much as spoken words for people living with dementia.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that person-led care depends on staff knowing the individual, not just following a care plan. Homes where staff can describe a resident's history, preferences, and personality in detail consistently produce better wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask a member of staff (not the manager) what your parent's preferred name is and what they enjoy doing in the mornings. The confidence and warmth of that answer will tell you more than any document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. This covers activities, individual engagement, and responsiveness to personal preferences and end-of-life wishes. No specific activity examples, no description of individual tailoring, and no information about one-to-one engagement are included in the published findings. The inspection is over four years old. For a 38-bed home specialising in dementia, the range and quality of activities is particularly important as the condition progresses and group participation becomes harder.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities engagement is cited in 21.4% of positive family reviews in DCC's data, and resident happiness in 27.1%. But the Good Practice evidence base is clear that group activities alone are not enough for people at more advanced stages of dementia. Tailored one-to-one engagement, including everyday household tasks and sensory activities, produces significantly better wellbeing outcomes than a scheduled group programme that some residents cannot meaningfully join. The published report gives you no detail on this at all, so it is a priority question for your visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) found that Montessori-based and task-focused individual activities produce better engagement and reduced distress for people with moderate to advanced dementia than group-only programmes. Homes that plan one-to-one time for residents who cannot join groups show consistently better wellbeing indicators.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe a typical Tuesday for a resident who is no longer able to join group activities. Ask whether one-to-one time is allocated on the rota or left to staff discretion, and ask to see the activity records for a recent week."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the February 2021 inspection. A named registered manager (Miss Rachel Anne Pardoe) and a nominated individual (Mrs Sam Manning) are identified, indicating a defined accountability structure. No detail about management visibility, staff culture, governance processes, or how the home responds to complaints or incidents is included in the published findings. The July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence requiring reassessment, but this was a remote review rather than an on-site inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research consistently identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Homes where the manager is visible on the floor, known by name to residents and staff, and where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, consistently outperform homes where management is office-based and distant. The published report confirms a management structure exists but tells you nothing about how it feels to work or live there. On your visit, ask how long the current manager has been in post, and notice whether staff seem comfortable and unhurried around you.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (March 2026) identifies bottom-up empowerment, where staff at all levels can raise concerns and contribute to decisions, as a distinguishing feature of homes that sustain quality between inspections rather than performing only when inspectors are present.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long she has been in post, and ask what the staff turnover rate was in the last 12 months. High turnover is one of the clearest early warning signs of a culture problem that a Good rating from 2021 would not capture."}

  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 has experience supporting people with dementia. They provide residential care with structured daily programmes.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the home offers activities designed to support social engagement and mental stimulation. Staff have experience working with dementia-related needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.