Ridgeway Rise Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds73
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2020-01-15
- Activities programmeThe kitchen team puts real effort into meals, with families comparing the food to restaurant quality. Fresh ingredients get transformed into home-cooked dishes that residents actually look forward to. The building itself stays consistently clean and well-maintained, with spacious rooms and thoughtful decoration throughout. There's good parking for visitors and outdoor spaces where residents can enjoy gardening or just sitting in the fresh air.
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
People describe walking into a space that feels more like a well-run hotel than a care facility. The warmth comes through in how staff interact with residents — taking time to chat, responding quickly when needed, and showing genuine kindness in their daily care. Activities here go beyond the usual bingo, with residents tending vegetable gardens, enjoying live entertainment, and celebrating special occasions together.
Based on 55 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 2020-01-15 · Report published 2020-01-15 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The inspection rated the Safe domain as Good, representing an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. No specific detail about medicines management, falls monitoring, infection control, or night staffing is included in the published summary. The home accommodates 73 people across a range of needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, which makes staffing adequacy a particularly important question. The published report does not record how many staff are on duty at different times of day or night.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A move from Requires Improvement to Good in safety is a meaningful signal: inspectors found that whatever concerns existed previously had been addressed. However, the published findings give no detail about what those concerns were or exactly what changed, which limits how much reassurance you can take from the rating alone. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in a care home, particularly for people living with dementia who may become distressed or need support overnight. For a 73-bed home with a complex mix of needs, knowing the actual overnight staffing numbers is one of the most important questions you can ask before deciding.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that inadequate night staffing is a recurring factor in safety incidents in care homes, and that agency staff unfamiliar with individual residents increase that risk further.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not just the planned template. Count the permanent staff versus agency names on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for 73 residents."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"The inspection rated the Effective domain as Good. This domain covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans reflect individual needs, and whether people have good access to healthcare including GPs, dentists, and specialists. No specific examples of care plan quality, dementia training content, or healthcare access are recorded in the published summary. The home is registered to care for people with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, all of which require distinct skills and care approaches.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia care context means that staff understand how dementia changes a person's ability to communicate pain, confusion, or distress, and that care plans are updated regularly to reflect where your parent is now rather than where they were six months ago. Good Practice research from the rapid evidence review found that care plans function as living documents in the best homes: reviewed frequently, written with the person and their family, and actually used by staff on shift. The inspection confirms this domain is rated Good but does not describe what that looks like day to day. This is an area where asking specific questions on a visit will tell you far more than the rating alone.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that care plans updated collaboratively with families and reviewed at least monthly are associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia, particularly in managing pain and preventing avoidable hospital admissions.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if needed) and ask when it was last reviewed and who was involved. Specifically ask whether families are invited to review meetings and how staff are told when a care plan changes."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"The inspection rated the Caring domain as Good. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether people are supported to maintain independence. No inspector observations about how staff interact with residents, no quotes from residents or relatives about feeling valued or respected, and no examples of dignity practices such as knocking before entering rooms or using preferred names are included in the published summary. The absence of specific detail here is the most significant gap in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, appearing in 57.3% of positive reviews by name, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. What families describe most often is not clinical care but the small observable things: whether staff crouch down to speak at eye level, whether your dad is called by his preferred name, whether staff pause when passing someone in a corridor rather than walking by. The inspection confirms the Caring domain is rated Good but records no specific observations of these moments. This means you need to generate your own evidence on a visit. Arrive unannounced if possible, or ask to spend time in a communal space during a non-structured part of the day.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that non-verbal communication, including touch, eye contact, and unhurried body language, is as important as verbal interaction for people living with dementia, particularly those with limited speech.","watch_out":"During your visit, sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes and watch what happens when a resident appears unsettled or seeks attention. Note whether staff respond promptly, whether they crouch or sit to the person's level, and whether they use the person's name."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"The inspection rated the Responsive domain as Good. This domain covers whether the home offers meaningful activities, responds to individual preferences, handles complaints well, and plans for end-of-life care. No detail about the activities programme, how individual interests are recorded and acted on, or how end-of-life planning is approached is included in the published summary. The home is registered to care for a wide range of people with different conditions and needs, which makes individual responsiveness particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our review data shows that resident happiness appears in 27.1% of positive family reviews and activities in 21.4%. However, Good Practice research is clear that activities matter most when they are tailored to the individual, not just available as a group option. For people living with advanced dementia who cannot join a seated exercise class or a quiz, one-to-one engagement, whether through reminiscence, a familiar household task, or simply a quiet walk outdoors, makes the difference between a person who is settled and one who is distressed. The published findings give no detail on whether this home provides that kind of individual engagement. Ask specifically about what happens for your parent on a day when they cannot or do not want to join a group.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday task-based activity approaches, tailored to individual ability rather than group participation, are associated with reduced agitation and improved wellbeing in people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activities schedule for last week and then ask what happened for a resident who did not attend any group sessions. Find out whether a dedicated activities coordinator is in post and what their hours are, including whether they work at weekends."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"The inspection rated the Well-led domain as Good, again an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. A named registered manager, Mrs Mirabela Balaci, and a named nominated individual, Mr Christopher David Ridgard, are both confirmed in post. No further detail about management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home acts on feedback is included in the published summary. The July 2023 monitoring review found no evidence requiring a change to the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. A manager who has been in post long enough to know residents, families, and staff by name, and who is visible on the floor rather than office-bound, creates a culture where staff feel supported to raise concerns and where problems are caught early. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in this domain suggests the leadership team made real changes. What the published findings cannot tell you is whether the manager who drove that improvement is still in place, how long they have been in the role, or what the staff turnover rate looks like now. These are the questions that tell you whether the Good rating reflects a stable home or a home that was improving at the time of inspection.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that leadership continuity and a culture where staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear are among the most consistent predictors of sustained care quality in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post and whether there have been significant changes in senior or nursing staff in the past 12 months. Ask how staff raise concerns and give an example of something that changed in the home because a member of staff spoke up."}
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 Ridgeway Rise cares for adults of all ages with varying needs, from sensory impairments and physical disabilities to mental health conditions. The team has particular experience supporting both younger adults under 65 and older residents.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the approach focuses on maintaining individuality and dignity. Staff work to understand each person's preferences and adapt activities to different ability levels, ensuring everyone can participate in daily life. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Ridgeway Rise improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five inspection domains, which is a meaningful step forward. However, the published inspection report contains very little specific observational detail, so most scores reflect a Good rating with limited evidence rather than strongly confirmed practice.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
People describe walking into a space that feels more like a well-run hotel than a care facility. The warmth comes through in how staff interact with residents — taking time to chat, responding quickly when needed, and showing genuine kindness in their daily care. Activities here go beyond the usual bingo, with residents tending vegetable gardens, enjoying live entertainment, and celebrating special occasions together.
What inspectors have recorded
The managers stay visible and involved, making sure staff have the training and support they need. Families appreciate the clear communication — regular updates about their loved ones, involvement in care planning, and private spaces when difficult conversations are needed. During the pandemic, the whole team pulled together to keep residents safe while finding creative ways to maintain their social connections and mental wellbeing.
How it sits against good practice
What comes through clearly is a place where the small details matter — from how meals are presented to how staff remember what makes each resident smile.
Worth a visit
Ridgeway Rise, at 40 Richardson Road, Swindon, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its last full inspection in December 2019, published January 2020. Importantly, this represented an improvement from a previous rating of Requires Improvement, which means inspectors found genuine, measurable progress rather than a home simply maintaining the status quo. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a change to that rating, so the Good rating has been sustained for several years. A named registered manager and nominated individual are confirmed in post, giving a clear accountability structure. The main uncertainty here is that the published inspection summary contains very little specific observational detail. There are no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no inspector observations about daily life, and no specific findings about staffing numbers, food, activities, or dementia care practice. A Good rating matters, but it tells you the home met the threshold, not how it feels to live there. On a visit, ask to see last week's actual staffing rota including nights, ask what dementia training staff have completed in the past 12 months, and spend time in a communal area watching how staff interact with people who are not initiating conversation themselves.
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In Their Own Words
How Ridgeway Rise Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where respect for individuality shapes every single day of care
Dedicated nursing home Support in Swindon
Families choosing Ridgeway Rise in Swindon often talk about how their loved ones are treated as the unique individuals they've always been. This care home creates an environment where residents maintain their dignity, make their own choices, and participate in life on their terms. Whether someone needs support with physical disabilities, mental health conditions, or dementia, the team here adapts their approach to each person's specific needs.
Who they care for
Ridgeway Rise cares for adults of all ages with varying needs, from sensory impairments and physical disabilities to mental health conditions. The team has particular experience supporting both younger adults under 65 and older residents.
For residents living with dementia, the approach focuses on maintaining individuality and dignity. Staff work to understand each person's preferences and adapt activities to different ability levels, ensuring everyone can participate in daily life.
Management & ethos
The managers stay visible and involved, making sure staff have the training and support they need. Families appreciate the clear communication — regular updates about their loved ones, involvement in care planning, and private spaces when difficult conversations are needed. During the pandemic, the whole team pulled together to keep residents safe while finding creative ways to maintain their social connections and mental wellbeing.
The home & environment
The kitchen team puts real effort into meals, with families comparing the food to restaurant quality. Fresh ingredients get transformed into home-cooked dishes that residents actually look forward to. The building itself stays consistently clean and well-maintained, with spacious rooms and thoughtful decoration throughout. There's good parking for visitors and outdoor spaces where residents can enjoy gardening or just sitting in the fresh air.
“What comes through clearly is a place where the small details matter — from how meals are presented to how staff remember what makes each resident smile.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
