Sonesta Nursing Home

What families say

The atmosphere here feels consistently warm, with staff who take time to smile and chat rather than rushing through their duties. Visitors mention being welcomed at any time, not just during scheduled hours, and finding the same friendly approach whether they arrive announced or drop by unexpectedly.

Based on 17 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity58
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership42
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-28 · Report published 2020-02-28 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home manages risk. No specific detail about staffing ratios, agency use, falls management, or infection control practice is included in the published summary. The home is registered to care for 32 people, including those living with dementia, which means safe practice at night and consistent staffing matter a great deal.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safety is reassuring, but the published findings give you very little to go on beyond the headline rating. Good Practice research consistently highlights that night staffing is where safety risks in care homes are most likely to emerge, particularly for people living with dementia who may be unsettled or at risk of falls after dark. Our review data also shows that families who feel their parent is safe most often point to consistent, recognisable staff rather than agency cover. With only a rating and no supporting detail published, you cannot verify these things from the report alone. This is a home where a visit and direct questions are essential before you can feel confident.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (2026) found that agency staff reliance is one of the most significant and underreported risk factors in care home safety, particularly in dementia care, because unfamiliar staff cannot recognise subtle changes in a resident's usual behaviour.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count the number of permanent versus agency names, and ask specifically how many carers and how many nurses are on duty overnight for 32 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers care planning, staff training, access to healthcare professionals, food and nutrition, and how well the home assesses and meets residents' needs. No specific evidence about care plan content, GP access frequency, dementia training provision, or food quality is included in the published summary. The home specialises in dementia care, making effective training and individually tailored care plans particularly important.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effectiveness tells you that inspectors found the home meets the required standard, but it does not tell you whether your parent's care plan would reflect who they actually are, what they enjoy, what frightens them, or how they prefer to spend their day. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans work best as living documents updated regularly with family input, not paperwork completed at admission and reviewed infrequently. Our review data shows that 20.2% of positive family reviews specifically mention healthcare access and medication management. You will need to ask directly about how the home involves families in care reviews and how recently staff completed dementia-specific training.","evidence_base":"The 2026 rapid evidence review found that dementia training which goes beyond basic awareness to include communication techniques and behaviour understanding is associated with measurably better outcomes for residents, including reduced distress and fewer incidents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager when care plans are formally reviewed, whether families are invited to attend, and what dementia-specific training staff have completed in the last 12 months. Ask to see an anonymised example of how a care plan captures a resident's personal history and preferences."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain assesses whether staff treat people with kindness, respect their dignity, support their independence, and respond to their emotional needs. No specific observations of staff interactions, use of preferred names, or resident or family testimony are included in the published summary. A Good rating here is a positive indicator, but without supporting detail it is not possible to say what caring looks like in practice at this home.","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 come close behind at 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities. They show up in whether staff knock before entering a room, use your parent's preferred name, move without hurry, and notice when someone is upset before the upset becomes a crisis. The Good rating here is encouraging, but the inspection report gives no specific evidence to confirm what this looks like day to day at Sonesta. The most reliable way to assess this is to visit at a time when care is happening, sit quietly in a communal area, and watch how staff talk to and move around the people who live there.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication, including tone of voice, pace of movement, and physical proximity, matters as much as words for people living with dementia, many of whom can read emotional atmosphere even when verbal communication becomes difficult.","watch_out":"On your visit, sit in a communal area for 20 minutes without telling staff you are observing. Notice whether staff make eye contact with residents, use names, and pause unhurriedly during interactions, or whether they move through tasks without engaging."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers whether the home meets people's individual needs, provides meaningful activities, responds to complaints, and plans for end-of-life care. No detail about the activity programme, how the home supports people with advanced dementia to engage, or how it handles complaints and end-of-life wishes is included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement matter more than many families initially expect. Our review data shows that 27.1% of positive reviews mention resident happiness and settled contentment, and 21.4% specifically mention activities. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not enough, especially for people with more advanced dementia who may not be able to join in. One-to-one engagement, whether that is looking through a photograph album, folding laundry together, or simply sitting with someone and talking, is where the difference between a good and a poor day is often made. The published report gives no detail on how this home approaches individual engagement. Ask specifically about what happens for your parent on a day when group activities are not suitable for them.","evidence_base":"The 2026 rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday task approaches, where residents engage in familiar household activities rather than structured group sessions, are associated with reduced agitation and greater feelings of purpose for people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe a typical day for a resident who cannot join group sessions. Ask to see the actual activity log from last week, not the planned schedule, and ask how often one-to-one time is recorded for individual residents."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Requires Improvement at the January 2022 inspection. This is the only domain where the home did not achieve a Good rating and represents the main area of concern from the inspection. The Well-led domain covers the quality of management, governance, how the home monitors its own performance, and whether there is a culture of openness and learning. A registered manager, Mrs Farzana Chowdhry, is named and in post, which is a basic positive. The published summary does not explain specifically what inspectors found lacking in the leadership and governance of the home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating for Well-led is the finding that should weigh most heavily in your thinking. Good Practice research is consistent that leadership stability and quality predict the trajectory of a care home more reliably than any other single factor. When governance is weak, problems in other areas, including staffing, care planning, and incident management, tend to go unnoticed or unaddressed for longer. Management leadership appears in 23.4% of positive family reviews as a driver of confidence. The fact that this home improved from Requires Improvement overall in a previous inspection is encouraging, but the persistent Requires Improvement in Well-led means you should ask direct questions about what has changed and what is still being worked on. The July 2023 review noted no need to reassess the rating, which means inspectors had not seen evidence of deterioration, but also had not re-inspected.","evidence_base":"The 2026 rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where managers are visibly present and known to residents by name, consistently outperform homes where leadership is administrative rather than relational.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly what specific concerns were raised in the Requires Improvement rating for Well-led and what changes have been made since February 2022. Ask how long the current manager has been in post, and ask a care worker (not the manager) whether they feel comfortable raising a concern if something does not seem right."}

  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 provides specialist dementia care alongside general nursing for older adults. Their experience with complex health conditions means they're equipped to support residents through challenging medical situations.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the team brings specialist knowledge and a patient approach. The consistent communication that families value extends to dementia care, helping relatives stay connected and understand how their loved one is doing day to day. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.