Risby Park Nursing Home

What families say

Families talk about the genuine compassion they encounter here, particularly during difficult times. Several mention how staff show real kindness that goes beyond just doing their jobs, creating a welcoming atmosphere that helps residents feel valued and comfortable.

Based on 4 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth82
• Compassion & dignity88
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement80
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness78

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-03-21 · Report published 2020-03-21 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the most recent inspection. This indicates inspectors found no significant concerns about how the home manages risk, staffing, medicines or infection control. A Good rating in Safe means the baseline is solid, though it does not reach the exceptional bar set by the home's Caring and Responsive domains. The full inspection report will contain the specific evidence behind this rating, including any areas identified for continued improvement. For a home caring for people with dementia and physical disabilities, the Safe domain covers everything from falls prevention to how distress is managed at night.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating tells you the inspectors found the fundamentals in place u2014 medicines managed correctly, risks assessed, enough staff to keep your parent safe. For families choosing a dementia care home, the Good Practice evidence base highlights that night-time is when safety most often slips: reduced staffing, unfamiliar agency staff, and slower response times. The DCC Family Review data shows that 14% of family reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as a driver of confidence. You won't get that reassurance from a rating alone u2014 you need to ask about overnight staffing directly. The home's specialism in both dementia and physical disabilities also means you should ask how falls are prevented and reviewed, since these are among the most common serious incidents in this setting.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the clearest predictors of safety risk in care homes, because unfamiliar staff cannot recognise subtle changes in a person's condition or behaviour that permanent staff would catch. Ask specifically what proportion of last month's shifts were covered by agency.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask: 'How many permanent care staff and nursing staff are on duty overnight, and how often do you use agency staff to cover those shifts?' Then ask to see the staffing rota for the previous week."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering how well the home translates care plans into day-to-day practice, the quality of staff training including dementia-specific skills, access to healthcare professionals, and how well nutrition and hydration are managed. A Good rating indicates these systems are working adequately. For a nursing home with a dementia specialism, Effective also covers how well the team recognises and responds to changes in health, and how consistently care plans are reviewed and updated to reflect your parent as they are now u2014 not as they were on admission.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The DCC Family Review data shows that food quality (20.9% weighting) and healthcare access (20.2%) are both significant drivers of family confidence. A Good Effective rating suggests these are managed competently, but 'competent' and 'excellent' are different things. For someone living with dementia, a care plan is only useful if it is treated as a living document u2014 updated when behaviour changes, when a health condition progresses, or when your parent starts refusing food they previously enjoyed. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that dementia-specific training should go beyond tick-box e-learning and include how to communicate with someone who has lost verbal language. Ask what that training looks like here.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett / IFF evidence review found that homes where care plans are reviewed at least monthly u2014 with family involvement u2014 show significantly better outcomes for people with dementia, because they adapt faster to changing needs rather than continuing routines that no longer fit.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: 'How often are care plans formally reviewed, and can I be part of that review process? What happens to my parent's care plan if their condition changes between scheduled reviews?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Outstanding u2014 the highest possible rating and the finding that should most reassure you as a family. Inspectors award Outstanding in Caring only when they observe consistent evidence of staff treating people with genuine warmth, respect and dignity, and when residents and families confirm this in their own words. This domain covers how staff speak to your parent, whether their privacy is protected during personal care, whether their independence is supported rather than overridden, and whether they are treated as an individual rather than a task. The Outstanding rating here is the strongest evidence in this inspection that Risby Park is a home where your parent would be treated with real kindness.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"In the DCC Family Review dataset u2014 3,602 positive reviews across UK care homes u2014 staff warmth and compassion together account for over 57% of what families say matters most. This is not surprising: when your parent can no longer tell you how they are being treated, you need to trust that the people caring for them are doing so with genuine kindness, not just technical competence. An Outstanding Caring rating is the inspection system's strongest statement that this trust is warranted here. The Good Practice evidence base also highlights that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication u2014 tone of voice, physical gentleness, unhurried presence u2014 matters as much as words. That kind of care cannot be faked in front of an inspector visiting for a day.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett review found that person-led care u2014 where staff know the individual's history, preferences and personality u2014 produces measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia. Outstanding Caring ratings are typically associated with homes where staff can describe the person, not just the diagnosis.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch what happens in the corridor: do staff make eye contact with residents as they pass, use their preferred name, and pause rather than hurry? Ask a care worker u2014 not the manager u2014 what your parent's name preference would be and what they did yesterday that they enjoyed."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was also rated Outstanding, meaning inspectors found the home goes beyond standard activity provision to genuinely tailor daily life to each person's individual needs, history and preferences. Responsive covers the breadth and personalisation of activities, how the home handles complaints, how end-of-life care is planned and delivered, and whether people with more complex needs u2014 including advanced dementia u2014 are actively supported to have a meaningful daily life. An Outstanding here is particularly significant for families choosing a dementia care home, because it addresses one of the hardest questions: will my parent have a life here, or just be kept safe?","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The DCC Family Review data shows that resident happiness (27.1% weighting) and activities (21.4%) are two of the top themes driving family confidence. Families who write positive reviews most often describe specific moments u2014 a member of staff who remembered their parent's love of gardening, or an activity that connected them to their past. An Outstanding Responsive rating suggests inspectors found this kind of specificity, not just a busy activity board. For someone with advanced dementia who can no longer join group activities, the Good Practice evidence base is clear: one-to-one engagement u2014 even simple household tasks or sensory activities u2014 is what maintains dignity and reduces distress. Ask directly what that looks like for someone at the stage your parent is at now.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett / IFF evidence review found strong evidence that Montessori-based and life-history approaches u2014 where activities connect to a person's real past rather than generic craft sessions u2014 significantly reduce behavioural distress and improve measurable wellbeing in people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see yesterday's activity log, not the planned timetable. Ask specifically: 'If my parent is having a bad day and won't come to the group, what happens? Who sits with them, and what do they do together?'"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good. A named Registered Manager u2014 Mrs Joanne Dawn Russell u2014 and Nominated Individual u2014 Mrs Rachel Fitton u2014 are both recorded, indicating clear lines of accountability. Good in Well-led means inspectors found the leadership and governance systems working adequately: staff are supported, concerns are acted on, and the home has a clear direction. The overall improvement from Good to Outstanding since the previous inspection also suggests that leadership has actively driven quality improvements rather than standing still. For a home that has achieved Outstanding overall, a Good Well-led rating suggests the management foundations are solid even if they haven't yet reached the exceptional bar in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"The DCC Family Review data shows that management quality (23.4% weighting) and communication with families (11.5%) are both meaningful drivers of family confidence. What families really want to know is: if something goes wrong, is there someone in charge who will tell me, investigate it, and change things? A Good Well-led rating combined with an Outstanding overall is a reassuring combination u2014 it suggests the leadership is effective enough to have driven genuine improvement. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that management stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory: homes where the manager has been in post for more than two years tend to sustain and improve their ratings. Ask how long Mrs Russell has been in post.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research / Leeds Beckett review found that leadership stability u2014 specifically manager tenure and the ability of frontline staff to raise concerns without fear u2014 is one of the clearest predictors of whether a care home's quality improves or deteriorates over time.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: 'How long have you been in post here, and what is the one thing you have changed in the past year that you are most proud of?' Then ask a care worker: 'Do you feel you can raise a concern and it will be taken seriously?'"}

  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 Risby Park provides nursing care for adults over 65, including those living with dementia or physical disabilities. They also support younger adults who need nursing care.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home provides specialist dementia nursing care as part of their broader support for older adults with complex health needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.