Spencer Grove Care Home

What families say

Families mention how easy it feels to talk with staff here, whether you're popping in for a quick visit or need to discuss something important. The regular activities and celebration events give structure to the weeks, creating natural opportunities for residents to connect and enjoy themselves.

Based on 31 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement70
• Food quality65
• Healthcare82
• Management & leadership88
• Resident happiness72

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-07 · Report published 2020-02-07 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Safe at its November 2019 inspection. This indicates inspectors did not identify significant concerns about safety, staffing, medicines management, or infection control. The published summary does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, falls management, or how incidents are logged. The home has 68 beds and specialises in dementia and physical disability care, both of which carry specific safety considerations. No concerns were flagged that would have prompted a follow-up reassessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is reassuring but does not tell you everything you need to know. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most commonly slips in care homes, and the published findings give no detail on overnight cover for 68 beds. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness is cited in 14% of positive reviews, often in the context of how quickly staff respond to a call bell or a fall. On a visit, watch whether call bells are answered promptly and ask specifically about how many staff are on duty between 10pm and 7am.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that agency staff reliance is one of the clearest predictors of inconsistent safety practice. Homes with stable, permanent teams tend to know their residents well enough to notice early signs of deterioration.","watch_out":"Ask to see the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the planned template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, and check whether the same agency workers return regularly or whether different faces appear each week."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"Spencer Grove Care Home received an Outstanding rating for Effective, the highest possible grade. This domain covers how well staff understand and implement best practice in care planning, dementia support, nutrition, and health monitoring. An Outstanding rating means inspectors found evidence that went clearly beyond what is expected of a Good service. The home lists dementia and physical disability as specialisms, suggesting relevant clinical expertise is expected to be in place. The published summary does not reproduce the specific evidence inspectors relied on to award this rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding Effective rating is significant. It means inspectors saw genuine evidence of care planning that reflects individual people rather than generic templates, and clinical practice that actively promotes health. Our Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents, ones that are updated after every meaningful change in your parent's condition, not just ticked off annually. Healthcare access accounts for 20.2% of the weight in our family satisfaction scoring, and this rating suggests the home takes it seriously. Ask to see a sample (anonymised) care plan so you can judge for yourself how detailed and personalised they are.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training with a focus on non-verbal communication and behavioural understanding produces measurable improvements in resident wellbeing. Homes rated Outstanding for Effective are more likely to have structured, recurring dementia training rather than one-off induction sessions.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia training staff have completed in the last 12 months, how long each training session lasts, and whether it covers non-verbal communication. A credible answer names a specific course or accredited programme rather than referring vaguely to online modules."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Caring at its November 2019 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how well the home promotes independence. A Good rating means inspectors were satisfied with what they observed, but the published summary includes no direct quotes from residents or relatives and no specific descriptions of staff interactions. The home supports adults with dementia and physical disabilities, groups for whom sensitive, unhurried care is particularly important.","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 follow closely at 55.2%. A Good Caring rating tells you inspectors did not find problems, but it does not tell you what your mum's Tuesday afternoon actually feels like. Good Practice research makes clear that non-verbal communication matters as much as what staff say aloud, particularly for people living with dementia who may not be able to report how they feel. The most useful thing you can do is visit unannounced if the home allows it, and watch whether staff make eye contact, use your parent's preferred name, and move without hurry.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that person-led care requires knowing the individual before it can be delivered consistently. Homes that systematically collect life history information and share it across the whole staff team, including night staff and kitchen workers, show better outcomes for dignity and emotional wellbeing.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask a member of care staff (not the manager) what your parent's preferred name would be and how they would know it. If the answer depends on checking a file rather than knowing the person, that tells you something important about how embedded person-centred knowledge actually is."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Spencer Grove Care Home received a Good rating for Responsive at its November 2019 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors its care and activities to individual needs, responds to complaints, and plans well for end of life. The published summary does not describe specific activity programmes, how the home supports residents with advanced dementia to engage meaningfully, or how complaints are handled. Dementia is a listed specialism, which raises the expectation that the home has considered how to keep people engaged as their condition progresses.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of our family satisfaction weighting, and resident happiness accounts for a further 27.1%. A Good Responsive rating means inspectors were satisfied, but the key question for your parent is whether activities are genuinely tailored to the individual or whether they are offered on a group basis that suits those with milder needs. Good Practice research highlights that Montessori-based and household-task approaches, folding laundry, tending plants, sorting familiar objects, can provide meaningful engagement for people with more advanced dementia who cannot join a group quiz. Ask specifically what happens for someone on a difficult day who does not want to leave their room.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that one-to-one activity provision, rather than group-only programming, is one of the clearest markers of a genuinely responsive service for people living with dementia. Homes that offer only group activities effectively exclude residents with higher support needs from meaningful daily engagement.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Thursday looks like for a resident with moderate to severe dementia who finds groups overwhelming. A strong answer names specific one-to-one approaches and describes how staff know which activities connect with that person's past interests."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The home received an Outstanding rating for Well-led, one of only two Outstanding domain ratings. This covers the quality of management, organisational culture, governance, and whether the home learns from things that go wrong. A named registered manager and a named nominated individual are both recorded in the published inspection data. An Outstanding Well-led rating means inspectors found clear evidence of accountable, empowering leadership that goes beyond what a Good service would demonstrate. The inspection was carried out in November 2019, so the leadership picture may have changed since then.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of our family satisfaction weighting, and communication with families accounts for a further 11.5%. Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory: homes with consistent, visible managers tend to maintain standards better than homes where managers change frequently. An Outstanding Well-led rating is a meaningful positive signal, but it was awarded more than five years ago. The first question to ask is whether the same registered manager is still in post. If there has been a change in leadership, ask how long the current manager has been in role and what their background is.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that staff who feel able to speak up without fear of blame are more likely to report concerns early, and that this psychological safety is directly linked to the quality of leadership at the top of the home. Homes rated Outstanding for Well-led are more likely to have structured staff feedback mechanisms that actually change practice.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, and what is the one thing you changed in the last year based on feedback from staff or families? A confident, specific answer is a positive sign. Vagueness or a deflection to policy documents is worth noting."}

  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 Spencer Grove supports adults both under and over 65, including those living with dementia or physical disabilities. The teams have experience across different care needs, bringing specialist knowledge to each person's support plan.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the structured activities programme helps create familiar routines and meaningful moments throughout the week. Staff understand the importance of consistency and gentle engagement in dementia care. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.