Sandringham Care Home

What families say

Families describe finding real comfort in the approachable nature of the staff here. The team creates an atmosphere where relatives feel they can reach out whenever they need support, with staff consistently described as cheerful and friendly during even the most challenging periods.

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-19 · Report published 2023-05-19 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Sandringham Care Home was rated Good for safety at its March 2023 inspection. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing numbers, falls management, medicines administration, or infection control practices. The home was reviewed again in July 2023 and no concerns were identified that would prompt a change to the rating. Beyond the rating itself, the inspection text provides no observable evidence to describe what safety looks like in practice at this home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring as a starting point, but the evidence behind it is not publicly detailed in this report, so you cannot rely on it alone. Good Practice research consistently finds that safety in care homes is most likely to slip on night shifts, when staffing is thinnest and oversight is lightest. With 92 beds, the night staffing question is especially important. Ask specifically how many staff are on overnight and whether that figure changes when the home is full. Also ask how the home logs and responds to falls, because a home that tracks incidents carefully and changes practice as a result is a home that is genuinely learning.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (61 studies, March 2026) found that night staffing levels are a consistent predictor of safety outcomes, and that homes with high agency staff reliance show weaker safety records due to reduced familiarity with individual residents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many permanent staff are on the dementia or nursing unit after 8pm on a typical weeknight, and what proportion of night shifts in the last month were covered by agency staff rather than permanent employees?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. The home holds a nursing specialism, which means registered nurses are on site, and it lists dementia among its specialist areas. The published inspection text does not describe care plan content, training programmes, GP access arrangements, or how food and nutrition are managed. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with effectiveness, but the specific evidence behind that judgement is not described in the published report.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, effectiveness means that staff know who they are, what they need, and what they prefer, not just in a medical sense but as a person. Care plans are the main tool for this, and research from the Good Practice evidence base shows that care plans which are reviewed regularly and involve the family are strongly linked to better outcomes for people living with dementia. The inspection does not tell us how often plans are reviewed here or whether families are included in that process. If your parent is living with dementia, also ask what specific dementia training staff have completed and when, because a nursing qualification alone does not cover the communication and behavioural support skills that matter most day to day.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans functioning as living documents, updated in response to changing needs and involving family input, are one of the strongest predictors of person-centred outcomes in dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if necessary) and check whether it includes the person's life history, preferred name, daily routines, and communication preferences. Ask when care plans are routinely reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Sandringham Care Home was rated Good for caring at its March 2023 inspection. The published text does not include inspector observations of staff interactions, resident testimony about how they are treated, or specific examples of dignity being upheld. The rating indicates that inspectors were satisfied, but no direct evidence such as quotes, observed moments, or record reviews is described in the publicly available report.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity account for 55.2%. These are not abstract standards; they show up in small, observable moments. Does a carer knock before entering a room? Do they use your parent's preferred name without being prompted? Do they sit down when talking to a resident rather than hovering? These are the things to look for on a visit, because the inspection text cannot tell you whether they happen at Sandringham. The Good Practice evidence base highlights that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication, tone of voice, facial expression, and unhurried physical contact, matters as much as anything said aloud.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that person-led care, grounded in knowing the individual's history, preferences, and communication style, is associated with reduced distress in people living with dementia and higher family confidence in the home.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch what happens when a member of staff passes a resident in the corridor. Do they make eye contact, use a name, pause for a moment? Or do they walk past without acknowledgement? This one observation tells you more about day-to-day warmth than any document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. The home lists dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities among its specialisms, indicating it supports a diverse group of people with different needs. The published inspection text does not describe the activities programme, individual engagement for people who cannot join group sessions, how complaints are handled, or how the home supports residents to maintain independence. The rating is positive but unaccompanied by specific detail.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent to have a real quality of life here, responsiveness means more than answering a call bell promptly. It means the home knows what your parent enjoys, what they did before they moved in, and what still brings them pleasure now. Our review data shows that activities and engagement influence 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness influences 27.1%. Research from the Good Practice evidence review is clear that for people with dementia, group activities alone are not enough: one-to-one engagement tailored to the individual is what makes the difference, especially for those who can no longer participate in groups. The inspection text does not tell us whether Sandringham provides this. Ask specifically, not just whether activities happen, but what happens for your parent if they are having a difficult morning and cannot join the group.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches, including familiar household tasks, significantly reduce distress and improve wellbeing for people living with dementia, and are more effective than structured group activities alone.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: if my parent cannot join a group session on a given day, what would happen for them one-to-one? Then ask to see the activity records for a resident with similar needs to your parent, to check whether individual engagement is actually documented as happening."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Sandringham Care Home was rated Good for well-led at the March 2023 inspection. The published text names Ms Victoria Craddock as the Nominated Individual at provider level, indicating accountability exists at organisational level. No detail is provided about the registered manager, how long they have been in post, how visible they are to staff and residents, or how the home handles complaints and quality monitoring. The rating is positive but the published evidence behind it is thin.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good leadership is what holds everything else together. Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to the Good Practice evidence review, because a settled manager builds a stable team, and a stable team provides consistent care. Our review data shows that management and leadership account for 23.4% of family satisfaction, and communication with families accounts for 11.5%. The inspection does not tell us how long the current manager has been in post at Sandringham, or how they communicate with families when something goes wrong. These are questions worth asking directly. A manager who can tell you clearly what they changed after the last complaint, and how they told the family about it, is a manager running a genuinely accountable home.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability, combined with a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, is a reliable predictor of sustained care quality in nursing home settings.","watch_out":"Ask to speak with the registered manager (not just the duty senior) and ask two questions: how long have you been in post here, and can you give me an example of something that went wrong in the last six months and what you changed as a result? The answers will tell you more than any document."}

  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 both under and over 65, supporting people with dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities. Their experience spans a broad spectrum of needs, from younger adults requiring specialist support to older residents with complex care requirements.. Gaps or open questions remain on As part of their wider expertise, the team supports residents living with dementia. This sits alongside their work with mental health conditions and physical disabilities, allowing them to provide integrated care for people with multiple or changing needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.