Roundham Court Residential Home

What families say

Families describe staff who meet behavioural changes with genuine patience and respect, using gentle humour to ease difficult moments. The home recognises that caring for someone with dementia takes its toll on families too, offering practical support and reassurance when relatives need it most.

Based on 4 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 2019-07-18 · Report published 2019-07-18 · 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 indicates that, at that time, the home met required standards for protecting residents from harm, managing medicines, and maintaining adequate staffing. No specific observations, incident data, or staffing figures are available in the published inspection summary. The home caters for up to 35 adults, including people living with dementia, which requires careful attention to night-time safety and consistent staffing. The last full inspection is now more than five years old.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is reassuring as a baseline, but five years is a long time in care home management. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness is one of the factors families mention most in positive reviews. What you cannot know from this report is whether staffing levels have changed, how much the home relies on agency workers, or what the night-time cover looks like for a 35-bed dementia-specialist home. Good Practice research consistently identifies night-time as the period when safety is most at risk, particularly for people who wander or become disorientated after dark. A visit that includes a conversation about night staffing is essential before you decide.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the strongest predictors of inconsistent care quality, particularly for people with dementia who depend on familiar faces for a sense of security.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how many permanent staff are rostered on the dementia unit after 8pm, and what is the home's current policy when a permanent staff member calls in sick overnight?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good in July 2019, indicating that training, care planning, and healthcare access met required standards at the time. Dementia is listed as a formal specialism, which implies some level of dementia-specific training and care planning. No detail is available on what dementia training staff receive, how often care plans are reviewed, or how the home coordinates with GPs and other health professionals. Food quality and dietary support also fall within this domain, but no specific detail is available.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a parent living with dementia, the Effective domain is where the practical quality of care is determined. Good Practice evidence shows that care plans need to be treated as living documents, reviewed with families at least every three months and updated whenever someone's needs change. Our family review data highlights that dementia-specific training is one of the factors families most want reassurance about, appearing in 12.7 percent of positive reviews. You cannot tell from the published summary how up to date staff training is, or whether your parent's care plan would be built around their personal history, preferences, and daily routines. These are the questions to press on during your visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base found that structured dementia training, including communication techniques for people who have lost verbal language, significantly improves daily quality of life and reduces distressed behaviour.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if necessary) and ask how the home would involve you in reviewing your parent's plan, and how often that review happens formally."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good in July 2019, covering warmth of staff interactions, dignity, respect, and promotion of independence. No direct quotes from residents or relatives are available in the published inspection summary, and no specific observations about staff interactions are recorded. The Good rating suggests inspectors found an acceptable standard of care at the time. Whether that standard has been maintained, improved, or declined in the intervening five years cannot be determined from the available information.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important factor in our family review data, mentioned in 57.3 percent of positive Google reviews across UK care homes. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2 percent. The absence of any specific quotes or observations in this inspection summary means you are working with a label, Good, rather than evidence of what kindness looks like on a Tuesday afternoon when your parent needs help getting dressed. Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, unhurried pace, and the use of a person's preferred name matter as much as any formal care plan. These are things you can only judge by visiting and watching.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know and use an individual's life history, preferred name, and daily habits, produces measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than compliance-focused care alone.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff use your parent's preferred name unprompted, whether they make eye contact and speak calmly, and whether anyone appears to be waiting or being hurried during personal care or mealtimes."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good in July 2019, covering activities, individual engagement, complaint handling, and end-of-life care planning. No specific activities are described in the published summary, and no detail is given on how activities are tailored for people living with dementia who may not be able to participate in group sessions. End-of-life planning is implied by the rating but not described. With 35 beds and dementia listed as a specialism, the range and quality of daily activities is an important consideration for your parent's quality of life.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness, which depends heavily on meaningful daily engagement, is cited in 27.1 percent of positive family reviews. For a parent with dementia, especially in the later stages, group activities may become inaccessible, and one-to-one engagement becomes critical. Good Practice research, including Montessori-based approaches, shows that familiar household tasks, sensory activities, and brief individual interactions can maintain a sense of purpose and reduce distress far more effectively than a scheduled group session that someone cannot follow. You need to ask specifically what the home offers for someone who cannot join a group.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found strong evidence that individually tailored activities, including everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, and simple cooking, produce better wellbeing outcomes for people with advanced dementia than group-based activity programmes alone.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator (or manager if there is no dedicated coordinator) what would happen on a typical afternoon for your parent if they were unable to join the group session, and ask to see the weekly activities schedule for the last four weeks."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good in July 2019, and a named registered manager, Ms Rebecca Ann Seddon, was in post at the time. The home is independently run under the provider name Roundham Court. A July 2023 review found no evidence requiring a change to the rating. No detail is available on management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints and feedback. Whether the same manager remains in post today is not confirmed in the available information.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained care quality. Good Practice evidence shows that homes with consistent, visible leadership tend to maintain better staff morale, lower agency reliance, and stronger care cultures. Our family review data identifies communication with families as a key theme, appearing in 11.5 percent of positive reviews. A home where the manager knows your parent by name, where staff feel supported to raise concerns, and where families receive proactive updates rather than having to chase for information is what you are looking for. The age of this inspection means you need to probe these questions directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that leadership stability, specifically manager tenure and the degree to which staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear, is one of the most reliable predictors of long-term quality in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post, whether they are present on most working days, and how the home would contact you if there was a significant change in your parent's health or wellbeing outside of office hours."}

  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 people over 65 with dementia and physical disabilities, adapting their approach to each person's changing needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on The team works with the reality of dementia — supporting residents through different emotional states and behavioural changes throughout each day. They've created spaces that work for people at different stages, from social areas for group activities to quieter spots when someone needs calm. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.